you are divine.

i once heard

that buddhist monks bow to others

as a symbol that they recognize

divinity in people.

growing up i was told it was bad

to treat yourself as a god.

and i think that’s because people think

being a god means

you have to worship yourself.

find a twisted way of falling at your own feet.

but now i don’t think that’s what it means at all.

afterall,

you are the only person

you will always see

when you look in the mirror.

your fingers are the only ones

you are able to move by your own command.

the only knuckles you are able to crack when they’re feeling stiff.

the only one who knows when you have to piss.

when you have to eat

when you have to sleep

when you want to put on chapstick

the way your head feels when it aches

they way you feel when you get fucked.

you are the only person

who decides when you want to smile

who decides what kind of people you want as friends

what you want to do with your free afternoon

what soda you want at circle k

when it’s okay to cry

whose shoulder you want to cry on

whether or not you should ask for her number

what side of the bed you want to sleep on

who is sleeping beside you.

and when you look out at the stars,

you may not have created the night sky with your own two hands,

but you are the only person

who really knows how beautiful you think they are.

how it makes you feel when someone’s hand brushes up against yours

when someone looks at you like they understand you

the rise and fall of their chest beneath your head.

we don’t have to build alters

or create temples

but when we see another human

we can bow

even if it’s only in our heads

because we have more divinity than we realize

that person in front of you is divine

you are divine.