by Michelle Oram

You can’t contain me
in a shallow binary—
of he, him, she, her,
it, they, them.

I am a tornado of adverbs
defiantly wrapped
in emotions more explosive
than any booming crash of thunder.

I am a tsunami of adjectives—
opalescent broken seashells
pounded ashore by an exuberant
symphony of songs.

I am a of cyclone of nouns
places I have journeyed
people I have met
teachers I have learned from.

I am an avalanche of verbs
and can’t be restrained
in a box of limitations.
So don’t demote me to just a pronoun

I am a mountain rooted deep in the earth,
a sharp, clever fox
worming through
all classifications.