Vans Bano (18)
an anatomy lesson in (incompletion)
One. Bone.
The hormone relaxin is released during childbirth to soften the ligaments of the pelvis and widen
the cervix to prepare the body for delivery. A butterfly moves its wings and deliverance comes as
more than just flesh. I say just flesh like there's something missing in the way you see my body
as just a body. There is. I am. Two butterflies play with each other and it looks like a tornado of
orange and black the same way our bodies are desert & river ; empty sky & lonely mountain ;
earthquake & remoulding: to conceive a colourstorm from quiet rage.
Two. Muscle.
gluteus maximus / keep us standing, but sometimes we just want to fall / gluttony / keeps us
moving, but sometimes we don’t want / maximus / keep us working, but— / hush. breathe. listen. /
there is a pause here & i can only hope it touches you / hold still for a while. hold on for a while.
let me hold you while you remember your bones again. / which is to say there is more inside us
than they know. there is more to our bodies than we let them see. which is to say, there is more to
come. / sometimes the most human thing about us is that we aren’t on our knees / & i promise
you, that is enough. / & trust me like you trust the ache in you, because i promise you, there will
be more than today / & through it all / you will be enough.
Three. Skin.
maybe names do have power because every time you say mine
it sha tter s a mirror like i have shatter ed my self
and every time our lips meet, we find another lost piece with
in.
my legs open like the jaws of a shark which is to say
i am willing to bre ak all of my teeth if it means i get to dev our
you.
(are we too young to be so broken?)
Four. Scars.
this is the history that has dug graves into my thighs. this is the phoenix dawn that rises from
twilight ashes anyway, again, again.
this is to say: i want a skin that knows your touch as a bird knows its feathers.
Vans Bano is a poet, visual artist, and follower of flowers, currently residing in Chandigarh, India. They like to write about nature, their body, and how their body is natural. More of their work can be found @vildflower on Instagram and Tumblr.
an anatomy lesson in (incompletion)
One. Bone.
The hormone relaxin is released during childbirth to soften the ligaments of the pelvis and widen
the cervix to prepare the body for delivery. A butterfly moves its wings and deliverance comes as
more than just flesh. I say just flesh like there's something missing in the way you see my body
as just a body. There is. I am. Two butterflies play with each other and it looks like a tornado of
orange and black the same way our bodies are desert & river ; empty sky & lonely mountain ;
earthquake & remoulding: to conceive a colourstorm from quiet rage.
Two. Muscle.
gluteus maximus / keep us standing, but sometimes we just want to fall / gluttony / keeps us
moving, but sometimes we don’t want / maximus / keep us working, but— / hush. breathe. listen. /
there is a pause here & i can only hope it touches you / hold still for a while. hold on for a while.
let me hold you while you remember your bones again. / which is to say there is more inside us
than they know. there is more to our bodies than we let them see. which is to say, there is more to
come. / sometimes the most human thing about us is that we aren’t on our knees / & i promise
you, that is enough. / & trust me like you trust the ache in you, because i promise you, there will
be more than today / & through it all / you will be enough.
Three. Skin.
maybe names do have power because every time you say mine
it sha tter s a mirror like i have shatter ed my self
and every time our lips meet, we find another lost piece with
in.
my legs open like the jaws of a shark which is to say
i am willing to bre ak all of my teeth if it means i get to dev our
you.
(are we too young to be so broken?)
Four. Scars.
this is the history that has dug graves into my thighs. this is the phoenix dawn that rises from
twilight ashes anyway, again, again.
this is to say: i want a skin that knows your touch as a bird knows its feathers.
Vans Bano is a poet, visual artist, and follower of flowers, currently residing in Chandigarh, India. They like to write about nature, their body, and how their body is natural. More of their work can be found @vildflower on Instagram and Tumblr.
