I heard a woman becomes herself
the first time she speaks
without permission
Then, every word out her mouth
a riot
Say, beautiful
and point to the map of your body.
Say, brave
and wear your skin like a gown or a suit.
Sa, hero
and cast yourself in the lead role.
When a girl pronounces her own name
there is glory
When a woman tells her own story
she lives forever
All the women I know are perennials:
marigolds, daffodils—
soft things that refuse to die
If this poem is the only thing that survives me
tell them I grew a new tongue
tell them I built me a throne
Tell them that when we discovered life on another planet
it was a woman
and she built a bridge, not a border
I heard this is how you make history,
This is how you create a new world
Denice Frohman is a poet, writer, performer and educator, whose work explores the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Frohman uses her experience as a queer woman from a multi-cultural (Puerto Rican and Jewish) background in her writing.
