I Am by Hera Shakir

Earth:

Light and the darkness

The loudness and whispers of the subconscious

The high winds and the soft breeze

The pain and the therapy

Everchanging

The tree branch that keeps growing and getting closer to the sky

Water and fire

The vessel and the carried

I may not always understand it

But I am this, I am this, I am this

Family:

The way my mother sings off into the distance

The child of my fathers efforts and persistence

The way my grandmother prays through the night

I may not always understand it

But I am this, I am this, I am this

Passion:

The melody I sing onto myself

The dream I chase through the distance

The determination I have in succeeding

The long hours I put into the night

I may not always understand it

But I am this, I am this, I am this

Style:

The earring, but more importantly

The ear that wears it, listens, and comprehends all the sounds around me

The dance shoes, but more importantly,

The feet that dance and bring the party with my footsteps

I may not always understand it

But I am this, I am this, I am this

Me:

All the tears I cried into the night

The sweat I left on the punching bag

The laugh that comes out louder than anyone else’s

The unwelcomed joke at the dinner table

The heart that just wants to love and love and love

I may not always understand it

But I am this, I am this, I am this