the art of shaking hands

To whom it may concern;

Let me introduce myself.

Not the paper-mache exoskeleton version that

crumbles and snaps under slight pressure.

Or the body attached to the porcupine quill spine I once had.

Let me show you the fossils under my fingernails

and Shakespeare’s lines rest quietly in the back of my throat.

Let you shake hands with my new Mayan warrior strength.

Rip the furnace out of my core,

passion-filled cathedrals ablaze.

Gaze upon my dragon’s breath fueled power.

I have warmed myself up to the ideas of

being crowned with a thick lion’s mane.

A golden-fur medal of honor.

As a child I asked for HELLO MY NAME IS stickers

rather than gold stars.

I craved more than a shiny shape.

Justed for a chance to reinvent myself,

rename who I had become.

Looking in the mirror this morning,

I noticed a new sticker.

It's time to re-introduce myself.