My Body Does Not Comply

My body does not comply on command.

It exists as a willful act of defiance.

It does not hop and skip to shouts and demands.

It sways and moves to it’s own tune, a cadence it aligns with in its own time.

My body communicates in behavior.

It’s pain is not it’s shame nor an open invitation to poke fun as a game.

It’s serious in it’s intent to circumvent the process, proceeds to clear paths, and requires patience and self-compassion.

It need not be feared, pathologized, decried because it is not understood nor often chronicled in mainstream and history books.

My body does not comply on command.

It does not dance to your song and this does not mean it’s mismanaged or somehow wrong.

It sits in stark contrast to the status quo, an outlier that knows slow walkers see more.

Image description: woman wearing black pant suit, pink shirt, black shoes, walking down sidewalk facing forward during daytime. She is using cane, hand rests on ledge of storefront window. 2 cars are on left side of view. Photo by Zara Tzanev