~ By Clare Dubois, Founder of TreeSisters
www.TreeSisters.org/give

How do I know
Who I am
When all I have been taught
Is who to be
According to rules
That belong to a past
That believed in the domination
Of nature
As a path to power.

How do I know
Who to be
When the judgment that gets thrown
Arises from a fear so old
That no one even knows
Why it’s wrong
To shine
Or show pleasure
As a woman.

Why would I stay
Cooped up in a cage
Of shoulds and oughts
When this body
Is crafted from moonlight
And fire
And the deeper river
Of ancient knowing
Guides my every felt sense
Of what it means
To be a woman.

So I stand
Shameless bright
My heart open wide
Wild crafted pleasure
And mountainous might
I define myself
As I set myself free
And I laugh out loud
As I birth a new me
For all women.