A Journal of Menstruation and Culture
by Nané Ariadne Jordan
If my body was the text,
the words would be fluid - fluids
running down my legs
clear wet crystal salt of amniotic
or blood river of menstrual red,
my womb
the source of rivers,
an ocean
of meaning
If my body was the text,
the words would shift with each moment
and days
would pass inside out
sometimes even backwards
bending, like this arm,
finger,
head,
leg
each time I get up
to walk
If my body was the text,
the words would wash over me like sound
one could never be sure of their exact
meaning
falling like hair,
each word
a tangled note
If my body was the text,
I would read the feeling of touch
my fingers tracing
shapes of letters
over this –
creased fold
of skin
If my body was the text,
(if our bodies were the text)
I would believe myself,
(we would believe ourselves)
to be true.
Nané Ariadne Jordan
© 2007