I Wear Red
May 28, 2019
Story
I Wear Red
I wear red for my sisters
Whose blood flows monthly
I wear red for my sisters
Whose blood is spilled through beatings
I wear red for my sisters
Whose blood flows with difficulty
Through wounds inflicted
I wear red in rage
That my sisters whose blood flows monthly
Are beaten and raped and insulted and silenced
And held captive, and murdered.
I wear red because this is known and not yet stopped
I wear red so that we can find each other
I wear orange with red
For my young sisters forced into marriage
Denied schooling
I wear orange to temper and strengthen my red
Fold in my red melting with orange
Expanding, widening, illuminating, joining, flowing
I wear yellow drawing and celebrating
The power of the Sun
Source of energy
Unending warmth
I bask in her rays
I send my desperate and deliberate cry
For the strength to right this inexplicable wrong
I wear blue and turquoise
Our magnificent rivers and lakes and oceans
Water washing over and healing
All the wounds of my sisters
I wear blue and turquoise in celebration of our voices
Our hearts’ desires rising into our throats
Calling to each other
Our strong voices heard now across oceans
I wear indigo in awe of our night skies
Moon, stars and planets
As we gently spiral through the Milky Way together
I wear indigo in awe
Of our ability to draw inspiration
I wear indigo to imagine my purpose
I wear purple in celebration
Of my independence and fierce love for women
I wear red for the love of women whose blood flows monthly
I wear red toward the day that every woman and girl is free
I wear red in celebration of our beauty
I wear red in celebration that we are finding each other.