My Identity

From birth

I was a woman first

Don't need heels and skirts

To proclaim my worth

Sneakers and sweatpants

Don't make me want to be a man

And that I'm attracted to a woman

Shit I loved them both

But a woman riveted my attention most

Maybe it's because I love the woman in me

That makes others women appealing to me

The depth of their sensitivity

While bearing the strength of humanity

The mystery in their eyes

Being the greatest creation of the Divine

Every being were females at conception

Before reaching the point of gender formation

It's not about sexual preference

When you love through inner vision

Seeing more than just the physical

That hides life's truths and miracles

Within a woman resides the key

To many of life's mysteries

That begins within her womb

That many still can't fathom

The strength behind her

Carrying and bearing

Delivering and surviving

The paining and changing

In the times of birthing

The life made with another

As the man becomes a father

As she transitions into a mother

To a son or daughter

I am not defined by my sexuality

Nor does it decline my femininity

Anyone who knows me for me

Knows the truth in my identity.

-Shiquita M. James