Poetry Archive

Flesh as Mother

I’m only as strong as I am soft
The first earth between your feet
The soft mounds of flesh that blanketed your skin
The landscape of striations and colors like a canyon stretching over the hills that you call home
Cradling my hearth
From my heart to the nest of my womb
From my spine to the depth of my spoon
I hold stories in my waters
From which I birth myself and you too
I am blood as much as I am bone
Cradling the strength of you standing on your own
As I find my balance
The pillows of my flesh are always here to lay your head
So many nights my sobs gave me new breath
So many days laughter freed the pain from my chest
I’m not without blemish
I drink from the roots of Love when there’s nothing left
I’m only as fearless as I am tender
I am the clay malleable in your hands
As you take shape of the space I hold for you
We are of each other but still two
It’s from my depths I pull the truth
And still, you’ll find your own
And may it ever keep expanding
To hold the breadth of you
In all of your beauty and anguish
In the cracks
May beautiful things grow
Thankful for the lesson
You’ve taught me all I need to know
I’m only as strong as I am soft


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Filed under: Poetry Archive

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Kemi Ducasse is a Writer and Artist that believes in the power of Art to alchemize emotions for deep-healing and self-discovery. Writing is the first form of creating that essentially gave her a voice and a place to belong. In her work, she engages ancestral and familial wounds, relationships, emotions, being embodied, and introspective self-examination. Currently, her practice has broadened in medium to include exploration through textile, sculpture, and other artisan practices. Kemi is of Haitian roots, from Miami, Florida and currently living in Los Angeles, California.