wrote this poem in response to the ongoing rollback of abortion access, the targeting of gender affirming care, and the growing effort to regulate whose bodies are seen as legitimate or worthy of protection. watching bodily autonomy become a political bargaining chip has been unsettling and personal, especially as someone whose culture, care practices, and sense of self are deeply embodied and relational. creating this piece felt both grounding and clarifying. it allowed me to return to my body as a source of memory, safety, and truth when public discourse often feels dehumanizing. through this process, i felt a mix of grief, anger, and quiet resolve, but also hope. my purpose is to remind others that autonomy is lived daily through care, lineage, and community, and that even when systems fail us, our bodies still hold the knowledge of freedom.
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