—myth: a widely held but false belief or idea

I am not your myth—
I dress myself in white gowns
for weddings I’ll never attend
at night I take men
who have found pleasures of marriage
between the sacredness of my thighs

I am not your myth—
when I tip my crown to the side
scrapes of gold reignite
the bruises you bestowed
when you tried to rip it from my roots

it shall not be removed

I am not your myth—
I paint my lips in blackberry juice
to remember a blackness buried deep in me
one you tried to repaint grey
for the box to exist

I am not your myth—
when I arch my back
to meet the curves of your hips
and I tell you I love you
—that is the myth