"Witness"

I saw her
In her royal declination I wanted to adore her
But I saw her
Cramped and crippled in the crevices of Cairo
I ran swiftly along the seed bursting Nile because I know what it means to be without fruit
You see, in her youth they tried to squeeze her into an American dream, but the size was zero
And I couldn’t save her ‘cause I’m no hero
But I knew
That her mountains and her child bearing hips
Could burst the seams of a paradigm so bulimic
Had you seen it…you would have tried to save her too
Had you seen it…you would have died to save her too

~Jamila Lyiscott, 21