Venus

“That’s Venus,” the women whisper behind her back, voices of scorn and contempt.

She continues on, carrying the weight of their stares on her back, refusing to bend, refusing to yield.

“That’s Venus,” the men murmur to each other, eyes focused on everything except her heart.

She brushes past, letting their filth roll off her. She will not pursue a man that won’t meet her eye.

“That’s Venus,” the girls breathe in awe, laden with self-doubt and envy.

She smiles but doesn’t slow down. They don’t yet know what it is to be a woman of her name.

“I’m Venus,” she says, talking to the mirror. Her voice doesn’t waver and her head is held high. “I’m a body of love, and I love my body. I am not what they think, what they identify. I am beyond just a name.

I am a force of nature. I am the pride before a fall, forever of the precipice. I am love, a mysterious force that binds us all. I am the bringer of good fortune. I dream of a family born from trust and patience. I know what I am, and I know what I will be.

I will be a mother. I will be a wife. I will be the envy of all around me. I will be in love. I will bring forth life. I am much more than a name.

I am Venus.”