By Julia Lima, TIWP Student

she decided to rebirth herself

she started with her body
she stripped off the rubbery layer of skin from her loose limbs
she peeled off her wounds
her scars
her souvenirs

next she moved to her heart
she scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed
until the thick layer of dust
had been wiped clean

then she went to her mouth
she poured all the light she had
into the mouth
until all the real words and all the fake words
were lost

finally she moved to her mind
she plucked out every growing thing
and snipped off every sprouting thought
with big heavy clippers

once she was done
she stepped back and looked at herself
she was blank
clean
she was nothing
she was not who she was
but not who she wanted to be

she opened her hands and let her soul sift through her fingers
and into her new self
she was reborn