Like A Witch

I have been afraid of burning it all down

To fix my mouth to expel words from my throat to verbalize what I really think

Afraid that I might not be able to control the slipslide of unexpected heartspeak

There is a library of reflections, journals, and essays

You could never guess the abyss of untold stories and

Songs that resound deep down in the chambers of the past

I have been afraid of burning it all down

To petition my Ancestors to course correct the naysayers

Then stand to the side to witness

Knowing the truth will explode on everyone who has ears to listen & eyes to see

By telling you what is really on my heart

To show you the true extent of my power, to use my voice unabashedly

To SHOCK you

Because the power of my tongue and strength of my spirit

Isn’t to be fucked or fooled around with

Neither as the recipient and nor as the practitioner

Like a martial artist sworn to be conscious of their skill

I try to be careful not lash you with my wisdom wand

Or bind you with your own ropes of ignorance and indignation

Or slice you with my energy field

But I am a mortal, I respond, I react, I feel

I know my inexhaustible inspiration and ingenuity can be off-putting

I am overly conscious of my dexterity and long range impact

So I step light, I read the room, I navigate the turns with intention

I wait and observe. I wait and observe. I wait and observe.

I measure, take notes and count carefully to ensure

The recipe of words blended with assertion are correctly chosen

I have been afraid to burn it all down

Of following through on my own thoughts

For fear of leading myself down a wrong path

A path no one else has known, not realizing no one else could

Not just lead me astray but lead me to my destiny

Made of my own mystery and magic

Of speaking without a script

Making sure all words, pauses, laughs and sighs are correctly placed

Without pre-recording

Without notes on inflections and precise octaves

Without first shepherding and collecting each one of my wayward thoughts

Without ordering them in my mind like diligent soldiers

Before I even think to open my mouth

I was afraid to lose you by way of my evolutionary journeys

And in that moment, considered the exchange

Of losing myself, my voice and mind

But my soul remembers, this is how we lose our minds

By giving it away to the matrix of endless cycle of mainstream missions

While hiding my practices for self-preservation or to avoid crucifixion

Like a witch instinctively knowing that

to expose one’s self is to sacrifice one’s livelihood

But the greatest witch is unafraid of death

For she knows her most awesome feat is in transformation

In the alchemy she lives each and every day

Like a witch, I am unafraid of renewal and reinvention

I sharpen my tools and my vision, ready to rise

Again and again and again.