i am not what

i am not what

it’s biology. blood and 
spit transport the slurry 
of DNA that determines 
what i am to the world,
pale, easily sunburned 
skin, big arms and hands, 
small breasts, and breeder’s
hips…that’s what my dad 
called them…I made good 
use of them too, squeezing 
out several healthy 
babies in my day…and
an aversion to cilantro
DNA…now when I look 
in the mirror my eyes 
look the same as in my 
youth, blue, with the 
same dashes of gray,
gray like the random 
strands that pepper, or
is that salt, my blond 
thinning curls, my body
softening, i’m older now, 
and wiser, I think
wisdom, while hard-earned
is wasted on the old…
one look at me and you might 
decide you know everything
you need to know about 
who I am, but I am not
my DNA, my soul begs
to differ…confuse what
with who and you will
completely miss the who
standing in front of you
like a book, it is only 
when you flip through the pages…
give it a try…you’ll see…
did you know? I write poetry

~kat

NaPoWriMo 2023 Challenge Day 26: write a portrait poem that focuses on or plays with the meaning of the subject’s name. This could be a self-portrait, a portrait of a family member or close friend, or even a portrait of a famous or historical person.