Darlin you're no metaphor
Steeped in centuries of misogyny.
Not a delicate flower in need
Of the most demanding care.
No butterfly, wings pinned down
And matted, cataloged on the wall.
Not some elegant creature elusive
To the hunter, enshrined in nature,
An object of longing and conquest.
You're more than that.

You are resilient.
You have teeth and claws,
A sharp beauty.
No wings, but one helluva pair
of legs that carry you up and down
This country's roads, and yet stay
Rooted in love and family.
No flower, but a vine with tendrils
Hugging and moving along
Some of the most foreign of surfaces.
Graceful in nature and beauty.
But above all,
You are not a beast, a bug, or a plant.
Not a concept or an abstract.
You are human.