Jay’La Evans

Poem: Finding Identity

There will be days where your identity is no longer yours
Hesitantly occupying your body as if she was the only reason your body was created for Taking up space that wasn’t meant for her
Forcing you to neglect aspects of yourself
I was in church the first time I heard that your body was only the vehicle of your soul
I went in search of soul and identity as their presence flooded my mind with unanswered questions
In finding soul, I was introduced to identity
Soul was my preference.

She was freedom from a world of stipulations, she was nurturing to my inner wounds She was warm and she was lively
Identity on the other hand was everything soul was not.

She was self harming, cold and enticing

Whether it be race,ethnicity, or sexuality, society will try to make you check a box But to break free or remained constrained, is up to you

I know because my bloodline surpassed the constricting labels of identity

And they decided to embrace their own

Under one blood we are all united, so what difference does our checked boxes make?

We are human. We feel, love,nurture,sin,create, revive and do so much more So much more, that the identity boxes have become a bore.

Therewillbenightswhereitseemseverythingyou’veeverworkedtowards,wasalltoshowyouthatlifeiswhathappenswhenyou’retryingtomapherout

Life does not like to be mapped out

I know this because of the millions of people like you and I, that searched for identity in a midst of storms ended up in a confusing whirlwind

But when we learn identity as a coming into, rather than a defined by, we open ourselves up to our most truest selves

…. I know this because

It was this moment that I felt the raft of God collide within the God in me, the God in my identity.