She walked as one constantly broken and reconstituted
In the process, some piece was always lost
Leaning heavily on one side, she walked on
Eyes gazed upon her frame, casting silent judgment
Up and down, finally down, they looked upon her
Dark skin, unkempt and wooly hair, big-boned
She was stripped of her personhood and made subject
A subject of contempt, open to judgment
Still she walked on, away and toward
Closer and closer approached she
And the pain in her gait became apparent
Empathy replaced apprehensive distance
I caught a glimpse into her dark brown eyes
And there I saw the truth of the matter
Nothing cloaked the windows of her soul
The exquisite pain rippled beneath
the smooth skin of her face
It exuded like the perspiration
that dissipated from her being
It flowed like the blood in her arteries
Like the air she breathed, it simply was.
She flinched at my touch, moved away
Unaccustomed as she was to gentleness
…
Arrianna Planey's Blog 