Yasmine Aggoun participates in the “Poetry” section of the International Literary Creation Competition, 4th edition, from Aubagne, France. Yasmine is 37 years old. We thank her for her participation and wish her success.

Schizophrenic frenzy

As I view the truth of my world,
I reduce the scale.
Magnificent in the detail, 
horrifying at a big scale.
The magnifying glass in my stressed sweaty hand 
is zooming in, zooming in and there it is.
I am nothing in this big wild world.
Thinner than sand yet bigger than them.

The world is my home
Zoom in. A continent
Zoom in. A border
Zoom in. A city.
Zoom in some more, a house.
Zoom in, come on!

My body is my first home.
Zoom in some more,
big breast, big butt, big pores, 
big stretch marks tearing my skin while trying 
to contain the big-brained brave woman I have always longed to be.
I have always been told although had no choice but to be.

Be big woman with a big brain,
but be small in size, be cute. 
Be big but in a tiny body.
Confused in this schizophrenic frenzy
I saw my body zooming in, zooming out, in and out.

Work out, eat less.
Look at them they're satisfied, you're like them now. 
You're part of the crew now, 
you are allowed in now, you're a player now.
Body feels accepted,
body feels comfortable again, too comfortable?


Body tries to contain this big brain of mine
To adjust to its size.
Body widens to match soul and brain.
Skin stretches, pores open, 
volcano erupts and humans dread.
Let them dread. 

Body is big to contain big brain and big soul
and here I am in my most perfect size. 
Butt as soft as heart.
Dreaming that one day,
 the only players allowed in big bold world
 are the big-brained and big-souled
 in their most suitable body home.

No matter how big or small, how hard or soft, 
as softness of heart extincts while hardness of body is sought,
hearts harden.
Zoom out, zoom out, zoom out.
Look at how small we all are in big bold world.


The bigger (wo)man


No matter what happens, 
yesterday, today and tomorrow,
always be you.

Treat people better than they have ever treated you.
Be the bigger man,
Be the bigger woman,
Be bigger.
Show the world who you are.
When they fail to just Be,
Speak up, rise up.

Tell your truths as blunt as they are.
Use words if you want to, 
Use attitudes if you're wise too. 
Words for now, 
wisdom will come to you.


JE

I am my everything.
I am my friend, my family.
I am my professor, my listener.
I am my student, my whisperer.

I am my best ally, my best enemy
I am my lover, my caretaker
I am my heaven and my hell.
I am everything,
I am my rock and my shoulder,
I am my sister and my brother.
I am ourselves for me.