“stop comparing me to flowers
my emotions
my pain
my joy
cannot
will not
ever
carry the fragility of soft petals leaving velvet kisses on your skin
my anger and my suffering
cannot
will not
ever
carry the scrape of prickly thorns that you oh so selflessly cut yourself upon
never act like you love me
despite my many flaws
instead
compare me to oceans
for the depth to my thoughts
compare me to sea storms
and breaking waves
when i rage and grieve over the state of the world
compare me to the stars
because there are millions of facets to me
compare me to mountains
quiet in their silence
but teeming with chattering wildlife
that have taught be to be durable
no matter how many landslides
compare me to the sky
vast and limitless

that has taught me how i want to be
compare me to untamed nature
and tell me how you love me free”
— 
i am not a gentle flower blowing in the breeze; i am a wild goddess lounging in a throne of trees