Your privilege is bigger than my body;
it is bigger than me and my suffering, my pain
It is as large as the world, if not larger
It spans generations, continents, perhaps even galaxies
My body is not a threat to you, it is the battleground on which your missiles are fired,
on which tragedies are written, on which hearts are broken
My body is not a threat to you, not to anyone, not to myself
It has been there for me when no-one else has and it will be there for me when no-one else is
My body is politicised; it is both art and revolution
It is mine, and you are not entitled to it
You do not have authority over it
It is stronger than your landmines, only because it has had to be
My body is tired, but not as tired as my heart
Batia is a writer of many things, poetry being her favourite. Her themes delve into the messiness of the human condition which is reflected through her unstructured but rhythmic style.