ode to my legs

anonymous

Poem: “ode to my legs” (anonymous) for years i left you chained / like black bodies swaying in the sea / why was i so ashamed? …

for years i left you chained
like black bodies swaying in the sea
why was i so ashamed?

thick slabs of mahogany
obatala painted you onto his canvas
and oya danced you into exhaustion
memories wrapped in flesh

as we grow old together
you remind me
of my father

a quiet power
that frightens the
world around you

you are black coffee
in the morning
warm to the touch
addictive

at the bottom of the ocean
when the pressure was deadly
you cradled me
and whispered
bittersweet songs
until we reached the surface

you are
majestic

i love
you

i’m
sorry