escape for a moment
in this visceral journey towards radical expression
scraping, licking, pulling, gnarling, raging 
your skin holds every bit of you together until
the inside finds a way out

this flesh is where we live,
where we stake our claim,
take up space, stand strong,
own our sexuality,
channel our anger,
and claim our freedom 

we are powerful in this skin

– Amanda Gookin, August 2021
Cellist and creator of Forward Music Project