Risk, Courage, and Women: Contemporary Voices in Prose and Poetry

no position is a position

260 no position is a position Demetrice Anntía Worley As girls we catch our breaths when family, friends, teachers, stranger say no; we hear you can’t, ugly, skinny/fat, nasty, bitch; slide into a vacuum, silence comes easily, comforting. As women we long for love, partners to fill spaces we’ve purposely have left open: hearts waiting for completeness; intellects waiting for challenges. When partners, lovers, and those others we sex just for the fun of it, say no, we silence our tongues, swallow whole words until we feel full, then we starve/gorge ourselves with food/clothes/relationship drama until we are in comas, eyes open wide shut. We women want change, new spheres, power. We silence our tongues, fear political labels, the F word, feminism, hyphens do no better, radical-, black-, eco-; we search for more inclusion without losing what separates the real self us—perhaps womanist. In the end, we might as well speak for ourselves, hold the positions we want, love ourselves with wicked glee. All our words/silences demonstrate our politics— our power is in choice. This position is my position; I name it with my voice. 261 ...