As a child I was taught that my body was not My own that it belonged to the Church, God, and Jesus be like the Virgin Mary Carry the children who will Carry the Church I was told my body was a vessel A sanctified womb Protect at all costs From men, from myself Because I am ‘worth waiting for’ Sex is for marriage, for men For babies Don’t linger at the edge I never learned how my body worked Or what I wanted outside of children Without Catholic babies Ignoring the blueprint Owning myself...