On Duality

Here, I am set ablaze
My skeleton – a mere reflex, waiting for you t(w)o
Touch me in the parts I cannot control
I have watched my body move in a way that is unfamiliar
It is dangerous; but the thrill is a backbone
And this is the first I am experiencing what it is to be alive
Human, lover, all the man in me, all the woman left behind

There, you will find me soft
A gentle that blooms in Wintertime
My courage surpasses gender inside they walls
To love there is to love ferociously
The hardest of choices, the easiest of futures
Still human, still lover, still all this man in me
And a woman left behind.

Jerrica Escoto has been a spoken word performer for over a decade. She was on the 2010, 2013, and 2015 San Diego Slam Team and a finalist at the 2011 Women of the World Poetry Slam, where she ranked 12th in the world that year. Escoto has used her poetry to mentor youth and facilitate workshops for young women in community schools and juvenile hall.  In 2014, she released her first book of poetry with fellow poet, Gill Sotu, entitled, How to Love Gods and Acrobats.