poem: her bare shoulder

her bare shoulder

we offer you, sun,
our bodies to be washed in light,
as we live outside
where man-made walls do not separate,
living with vigor, with joy,
letting the freckles appear on our arms
as we lift our children,
as we plant our seeds,
as we reach for each other and squeeze.
there is something powerful
about a woman's shoulder
where the arm begins
the curving shadows of muscle -
it is not the feminine of fainting
or frailty
but it is the feminine of creation
and strength
that comes from giving our bodies
to the light
from living outside, bare with truth,
from offering all that we have
to the world.