purple veins span my thighs
my calves
the curve of my ass:
a road map I’m still learning to navigate.

and as my fingertips dip
into every inherited crevice and ravine,
as they scale every purple mountain majesty,
survey the topography of my body,
I resolve not to become heiress to
self-consciousness,
self-loathing.

instead, I will myself to love
every spidery firework exploding
across the pale desert of my skin,
implore myself to forge my own path
purely
out of
spite.

the blood pumping through
these rivers and streams
proves I am strong,
proves I am alive,
proves I have purpose.

and I will convince myself of that every day
until I arrive at my destination,
the often sought city of Belief in the
faraway state of Acceptance.
An uncharted territory waiting to be discovered.

and besides – I remind myself:
purple has always been my favorite color.

---