I am a metaphor.
I am the feeling
between asleep and awake
before the panic of oversleep settles in.
I am sneakers
with a dress
and unbrushed hair.
I am not
an apology
for how I look.
I am
a story
with something important to tell.
I am the messy handwriting
of a student
rushing to finish.
I am graphite
glittering down the side
of a tired hand.
I am a collection
of powerful ideas
in a book of my life.
I am highlighted pages
and dog-eared corners
because "I love this quote."
I am a broken spine
opened a few too many times,
and read a few too little.
I am poetry embodied,
but
I am more
than words
on a page.
I am also
art.
I am drawings on napkins
in a fast food restaurant.
I am swirled primary colors
on display in The Louvre.
I am the colors
of my past,
present,
and future
blended into who
I am.