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I have never been just one of the girls
    faint and frail
I was born as sturdy as the earth beneath my feet
   I throw punches like a boy 
     and words like weapons
I am never just sugar and spice 
      seldom everything nice
I am masala 
   cardamom and ginger
   cinnamon and cayenne
   turmeric and thyme
Spice to taste    Hot to touch
I don’t giggle
   My laugh shakes my body
      forces back my head
         and opens my soul to the world
I am not just one of the girls
   afraid of things that go bump in the night
I am one with the snake around my neck
   tarantella in one hand 
      and the future in the other