egg of my nana’s womb
Nana’s Collage, by Trae, made with Canvo Pro, Watercolor, and Pen on Paper
This month, I’m choosing to “live in the orange” and share a poem with you all that I wrote dedicated to my nana, Tracy.
It is inspired by this TikTok that my partner showed me, knowing it would make me feel so warm thinking about my relationship with my nana. Not only am I named after her, but I have the privilege of having a deep and humorous relationship with her.
A quick breakdown of the TIkTok with additional information for accuracy:
Humans with ovaries are born with all the eggs they will ever have
You as an egg were being created as your mother was growing as a fetus inside of her grandmother
Two major aspects of decolonizing knowledge is first, valuing the knowledge and experiences of those who come before us and second, listening to the knowledge passed through our DNA. My grandparents are institutions with cultural knowledge stored in their bodies shared through a family lineage that existed long before colonization. As I was forming in my nana while my mother was growing as a fetus, she too started growing while in her grandmother, and so forth. In a time where colonization has made many of us feel like we are on our way to extinction if you are marginalized, we are already growing the next generation of our people today.
egg of my nana’s womb
egg of my nana’s womb
I grieved
dreamed of the life where i could have stayed with You
but had I stayed in the oasis
how i would find myself running down the drain
a fate in line with every other gift that gives
every 28 days
egg of my nana’s womb
I coveted your position not yet knowing i won the prize
of a life
how majestic i feel
to exist outside of you
to hold your hand
to dye your hair
and share your air
egg of my nana’s womb
I felt your breath before I could feel my being
I felt your glow before I grew toes
Your heart created the valves of mine.
Tracia Lynae of Tracy Lynn
Tracia (warrior) Lynae (little blue flower, a form of Lynn)
of Tracy (war-like, superior, more powerful) Lynn (lake, waterfall)
I am an Egg of my nana’s womb
Imbue me in your waters
Immerse me again
So that I can nourish in the connection
between You and Me
