Ferdaous Naili | Tunisia
Where do we birth a female?
The tale of unravelling your senses
Discovering through your owned body
What is it you are
You feel
You ignite
Transform against all odds and troubled senses
Unexpected becomings
Can you transpire yet?
Can you show some hair?
Act girly!
Time to drop it
Act gracefully!
Your time is up
Down the roads, I go as a womxn
Fluttering wings of desire
Into my own self and body
Inhabiting every inch
Devouring every blemish
I’m writing today,
On becoming a woman Gaining this confidence to put words from my mind onto circles
Staging a filtered reflection Onto Family Circles
Outing all sensations to the airs Onto Girlfriends' Circles Believing that what breathes in me is real Onto Truth & dotted circles Today I write on becoming a woman as I revisit the beach I frequented as a girl.
A decade and a half ago, I was stealing time for beach trips, hiding from my mother the bikini I picked for such youthful occasions. The beach, a public space, was not public enough to contain my teenage female body. I was urged to hide it, to cover it, so that circles of homogeneous units continue to agree on public morals. The girl in me still had her ways; pack a change of clothes, gather a group of trusted friends -mixed genders preferred for better protection- and hit the road to reach one of the farthest beaches exclusive to tourists.
Today, as the fresh watery waves hit my thighs, I notice that all I packed was sunscreen and my lover.
By virtue of great privileges and education, the formal order on how to inhabit this body of mine was curved to take my mind and soul into legitimate account. Against public will, my body and self were resurrected. Dense borderlines have been drawn to map out my soulfully searched desire routes. As in most ambitious tales, the hero plays ahead.
On this beach today I sit with my thoughts and speak out my felt poems.
I play ahead as the woman I am every day becoming.
Analytical heart beating soul; Ferdaous is on a mission to curate social interventions for Good. Connect with her at ferdaous.naili@gmail.com