This International Women’s Month, I want to honor every woman — may you feel empowered, recognized, and loved.
I have always felt an unspoken understanding that washed over me whenever I’m with other women.
It’s always special.
The uttering of words doesn’t need to be done — I feel it. It’s there.
I remember the first time I got naked in front of a woman.
The memory is still vivid — I was scared.
I was scared to take off my clothes; I was scared to show my scars, my imperfect skin, my ugly complexion. I was afraid to let her see my unproportioned legs, stretch marks, and fat arms. I was scared, but it was beyond physical — I was scared to be vulnerable.
The moment she took off her clothes, I was able to see it.
Like me, she was scared.
We were both silent, but there was an unspoken safety — it felt like we were connected; that what I see from her is what she can see from me. We’re as one — sharing the same skin, having similar anatomy.
We caressed each other, and it was the most natural thing in the world. Like a liquid that dripped down on my skin, I felt the worries leave my body, washing my insecurities away — making room for love and intimacy.
I remember feeling mesmerized.
Her body was inexplicitly beautiful.
She showed me her whole being — naked, fragile, and uneasy. Seeing her skin full of scars and wounds, I wanted to heal her pain. My eyes screamed, I have been there, I have been there. But my throat was dry, and my voice seemed gone. I didn’t speak, but the moment she looked me in the eye — she understood.
I kissed her flaws — it was delicate, dear, and beautiful. I wanted to love her insecurities away, I wanted to take away her sadness. I held her in my arms, like a moment that will end in a snap I felt like there was no tomorrow, only today.
She wrapped her arms around me as I closed my eyes, and I felt comfort — I felt home.
I wanted to love her.
I wanted to tell her that she’s beautiful — that every bit of her body encompasses of love that she was seeking.
Then, I suddenly thought to myself:
If I can love these women deeply just as they are — then maybe I can love myself, too.
Like a thunder that struck in the silence of the night, an epiphany occurred to me:
With a woman, I feel home.
