Pour

The more I pour

into myself,

the more refreshed

I become.

Not because

the world slowed down—

but because

I finally did.

I am aligned now

with the ancient knowing

that what I desire

has been desiring me too.

That longing

is not one-sided.

That faith

has a return address.

I stand whole

in my body,

no longer negotiating

with pain.

I take my temperature—

of spirit,

of thought,

of joints

and ligaments

that carry

generations.

If my body says

sit down,

then we sit.

No apology.

No explanation.

Rest

is not weakness.

It is instruction.

I can no longer afford

to run on empty.

Black women

have paid that bill

for centuries.

I choose solvency now.

I am my best self

only when

I honor myself,

only when

I listen

before

I perform.

And when I stare back

at my reflection,

I don’t question her.

I nod—

in agreement,

in reverence,

in truth.