Poem: I am a person that is me

By: Huda Shah

“I am a person that is me

what does it mean to be a woman

and what does it mean to be something in between
slithering down the space between the walls

they're closing in on me

I'm loud and angry
I'm rambunctious
I ramble I cry

what am i

I'm not irrational
I'm not emotional
I'm not the definition of perfection and grace

I am irrational
I am emotional
I am that woman
I am that person
i am that person
I am me

am i the epitome of femininity?

I think not

i dont care
for these restrictions
and labels
and forced niceties
fuck you
I'll do what I want
i am me

what about my silhouette is so
vulgar
explicit
completely
utterly
and irrevocably
sexual
to the highest degree
and order

red will stain the streets of lahore
but my bare arms
and the shape of my breasts
under a loose kurta
will never stop provoking enough mayhem
to last this century
and the next

if I am to celebrate my personhood
I will do it in all my heart's glory

the flag I am waving isnt white or pink
it is
purple and yellow
and it reeks of my magnificence and brilliance”