Today I move

I pull myself out of bed

The deep slumber

Of exhaustion

I dress my body

In clothes that hug my figure

I tie my hair

With feminine elastic

I drink a mixture of caffeine

I stretch

I tap my chest

Opening myself up to love

My internal source of energy

I breathe deep

Cross my arms

And give myself a hug

And I draw courage

From every ounce of my being

Every thread of my garments

Every particle of that drink

My heart beats a little faster

As my shoes slip on

My grasp for my keys

And my hand on the doorknob

I don’t let myself pause

Because if I did

The fear would overwhelm me

The fear of failure

For sacrificing time spent

On deadlines

The fear of time lost

The fear of judgment

And while these fears are typically there

And enlarged

Swollen with blood

Like a tick that always feeds

This time

A bigger fear lingers

Safety

My brown skin

My large slanted eyes

A deep shade of brown

My coarse dark hair

There’s no way of hiding

I puff my chest

Lioness

With an open heart

And open the door

Because today

I choose me

In this moment

I choose to live

Even if someone were to take my life

I can only control what I do

And today

I will move my body

The body that is threatened

For skin that’s too brown

For eyes that are too slanted

For cheeks too round

For curves too curvy

For stature too small

I take my body back

And today

I decide

What is done with it

Today I move