To My Soul Sisters: I Believe You

help!
she calls out to me
tell me what to say
tell me what to do
my friend, she’s suffering
& I’m not sure i have the right tools
I bow my head
heart breaking open
my fingers scrambling
hurrying to type the words
that I’ve typed before
tell her you believe her!
I practically scream
tell her you’re present
tell her she has choices
tell her she is still valuable…
I know exactly what to say
all i have to do is time travel
back to another life
I call it my first life
when abuse was normalized
& my mouth was gagged
I know exactly what to say
because I’m speaking to myself
as I gaze into the eyes of another soul
the soul of my sister
& that’s when i realize
I’ve become known as the woman
that women go to
when they’ve been assaulted
when their sister cries in their lap
pinching her knees together
holding her battered womb
broken in half
I’m the woman they go to
when they aren’t sure if
they have the courage to speak it
to say “the word”
the word that stops lives
so I lend them my own
pulling them fresh from my beating heart
I give to them all of the courage
all of the tenacity and feral power I contain
as I whisper
I believe you
I believe you
I believe you
giving them all the medicine
I have