But I want you to look at me⠀ and see we are the same

I want to know what you see⠀
when you look at me.⠀
Is it brown eyes, searching⠀
your face? Is it a smile, pulling⠀
you closer? Is it arms and legs,⠀
muscles and curves?⠀
Do you feel threatened⠀
by the way I walk⠀
with my head straight, gazed fixed⠀
and unwavering?⠀
When you look at me,⠀
do you see mascara on my eyelashes?⠀
Blush on my cheeks? Running shoes on my feet?⠀
When you look at me,⠀
do you see fingers with silver rings,⠀
manicured and delicate?⠀
Do you see callouses from work,⠀
a smudge of dirt on my knee, scuffed⠀
soles from the places I’ve wandered?⠀
⠀
Because when you look at me,⠀
I want you to see fierceness and grace.⠀
I want you to see hands, worn⠀
from both labor and love.⠀
I want you to see legs, strong⠀
from the paths I’ve walked⠀
and the burdens I’ve carried.⠀
I want you to see a heart⠀
big and beating⠀
and shining boldly through my smile.⠀
When you look at me,⠀
I don’t want you to just see⠀
girl, woman, female, pretty.⠀
I don’t want you to just see⠀
curves, muscles, short, strong.⠀
I don’t want you to just see⠀
chest, back, lashes, legs.⠀
I want you to see where I’ve come from⠀
and who I’ve become,⠀
the laughter from my lips⠀
and the faraway look in my eyes⠀
when I start to remember what I’ve lost.⠀
I want you to feel the warmth of my skin,⠀
touch my body with your fingertips.⠀
I want you to know I’m not just a woman,⠀
a human, a body. But a force,⠀
an energy, a soul.⠀
I want you to know⠀
we are so different,⠀
so complex,⠀
so disconnected.