Blythe Baird

Blythe Baird's If My Body Could Speak is a celebration of girlhood and all of its struggles and triumphs. In poems that dig deep into sexuality, acceptance of the body, survival of trauma, and learning to love yourself in spite of everything telling you not to, Baird's voice is a rich addition to her generation. Searing, soaring, and heartbreaking, If My Body Could Speak balances the softness of femininity with the sharpness that girls are forced to become. Includes poems such as "Girl Code 101," "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny," and "Pocket-Sized Feminism" that have been watched by millions online.

If My Body Could Speak

Kayla Jardim

Saskia Klemm 

How do I stop carrying everything that has ever happened to me?

In this room, I try to write a poem about anything other than my sexual assault, but all that comes out 

A few hours before one of my best friends raped me on our college campus, we talked about astral projection.

 He couldn't understand why I wanted to experience it so badly. He laughed,

 Why would anyone want to leave their body?

To live in the body of a survivor is to never be able to leave the scene of the crime.

 I cannot ignore the fact that I live here. I have tried and failed many times.

 At a leadership retreat, we play an icebreaker activity called Cross the Line. 

The instructor says, "Cross the line if you've survived an assault." 

I think to myself, Did I survive it? Or did I just get through it? 

Who is entitled to the trophy of a survivor?

 I carry a bouquet of fear, even now, even here.

 I am still struck by the thunderbolt of a predator shaped like an educator. 

I have always hated The Game because I always lose.

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