I am not bells and whistles. I am not a fantasy. a commodity. a really cool thing to know. I am not an afterthought, nor am I the girl you’re gonna remember when you’re married to your wife. I am not just a piece of someone’s mind or heart, I am the entire she-bang. I am consumption. engulfing. a force. I am mad in the most beautiful way. I am not just a phase, I am a lifetime. I am forever and a half and I am nothing like a quick phone call or a text. no, I am a four page letter enclosed with your favorite scent. I am the laugh that causes your rib cage to betray you. I am the tears, hot and heavy that fall without your consent. I am loyal like the unwavering belief in God and all things beauty. I am an entire being, not something to be fragmented or hyphenated for connivence. I exist. I am alive. I am beating and bellowing. I am the kick drum. I am smooth jazz on a rainy day. I am soul.