she purges in the dark
knocking down facades
clays and talcs melting
bleeding all her colours
peeling off the dead
she showers and scrubs
discerning her scars,
the warp in the casing,
to find magma in the fractures
that burn all her doubts,
the frail and the fragile.
what needed care was
only the unbreakable her.
she cleanses in the dark
until steam stains mirrors
and mist floats in the scent
of her mane and her hide,
now all doused and wrinkled.
she soaks under storms,
in long nights and the shadows
until, in the dark
her skin, her obsidian
cracks open the murk.
in darkness, she glows
and she heals.
© Madhuvandhi Ravi 2023. All rights reserved.
This story of self-discovery is dedicated to all the women who have taught me to persevere, heal, and thrive.
