The Woman I Am

before I was the woman I am I played in a dusty garden between the rusty cars and lavender and made the world my own the grass was high and the sky held the hum of a solitary plane and the buzz of foraging bees before I was the woman I am I held my children to me and for a while they played and sang under sun filled skies and saw the seasons change the breezes blew and brought new life to where the leaves had fallen and unhurried beetles scurried and now I am the woman I am but not the one you see but if you're still you'll hear my voice in the spider scuttling. or in the sea bird's call and know me in the traffic's thrum or on the open road trees blurred against the blue each day with promise new this world I made my own