long before i was a girl
i was an animal
with human teeth growing into pale pink gums
and hair that went from black to blonde
from blanket to crib to
a child dressed in puberty
that’s when you brought me the bra and told me this means woman took me to tea and told me this means woman
pointed at me and told me this means woman
no matter how i would hiss,
my claws digging into the table at which i had a seat
& i, i would rather starve
than bleed a feminine creature
between my legs
with the hope that she might please you
would rather starve than forget
i lived on soul
long before gender
growl long before cage
About The Author
DMT is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist, born in Pretoria, South Africa (1998). A poet and visual artist, DMT’s work often draws from literary, sociological and metaphysical influences. They write from an autistic and non-binary perspective.