To The Wild Ones
I know it started when you were small
1
2
maybe 3 —
the first time you looked
into the mirror
and saw the reflection of
a wild
wild
thing.
There
you saw yourself as you really are
all soft edges and discovery —
all crushed leaves and sweet smell of body —
all unbridled laughter arms lifted chest bared no cares —
You saw
this wild
wild
being.
Perfect
Pristine
But I know what the world says to wild things.
I know
what happened
as you grew —
muscle stacked on sinew —
as your skin lost suppleness
gained bitterness,
added hardness;
and the world
it demanded this –
So you shaped up.
Cut your hair
Got a college degree
Refined your edges
Stood up more rigid
in a world
that whispered
daily
into your ears
Don’t be so wild.
Until one day
you looked
in the mirror and felt
your skin sinking
This world
with its sharp points and razor edges
was doing its best
to tumble
and tame you
Bridle you
Contain you
And this world,
it kept speaking,
Loud, now
in shouts, now
Telling you
to not be so emotional
Telling you
that women don’t do that
Telling you
to be more realistic
Telling you
to get a ‘real’ job
Telling you
to not care so much
Telling you
that you need to man up
that you need to stop being such a pussy that
real boys don’t cry real girls don’t get mad
women don’t open their legs and men keep theirs spread wide
Told you all these lies
shouted them so loud
so adamantly
that maybe
you almost started to
believe.
But
You didn’t.
You couldn’t.
Because you’re
a wild one —
you knew
deep within your mother-born bones
that these shouts
were all
fiction.
This is not how we were meant to be
These creatures of vicious efficiency
You know
softness
is your real nature
And feminine
is a blessing
You know
that a pussy
is the strongest thing you could ever be You know
that men have feelings too You know
that healing cannot happen if we run from pain we gotta walk straight to it You know
that togetherness is sanctity
and the ultimate sacrament is real, raw vulnerability
You know
that God
is kindness, love, and empathy because you see her
every time you look into a mirror
at 1,
2,
or 83.
So wild one,
do not worry.
It does not matter what this world shouts or twists or tumbles —
You
are a wild one
You
will always be free.
*Nasimeh hails from California with roots in Iran, and loves Amsterdam like a second home, leaving us with this beautiful and inspirational poem to lighten your hearts in these dark times.