stories

i am not a number

do not call me three
forget that fifteen
that seventy three you saw
is not me

who is five?

i am not that number
stop saying 'one hundred fifty'
or 'two hundred ninety-six'
that eighty four means
nothing to me

i am not a number

that does not define me

but
i am my bruises
the scars on my arms and
the imperfections on my face
the books i read and
the stories i write
the thoughts i dream and
the words i speak
the sounds that come out
of my mouth

i am the stories from
within my body

but i am not a number

and i do not need
you to tell me
who i am
because i am enough,
on my own,
to convince myself that
i am just as good
and great as
everyone else

because on my own,
i am perfectly fine

and by myself,
i can breathe
and enjoy
every
single
bit
of
me