In silence, I stand
Nipples bared and bowed
To the bravery of the stolen
Of the forgotten voices
Of the raped
Of the tortured
Of those killed in the name of freedom
I bare my body
I surrender this suit
I plaster truth
I carve it into the bones of me
Until the world hears
En Chile torturan violan y matan.
“In Chile they torture, rape and kill.”
The story behind the poem My Body, My Protest, begins with me stumbling into bed at 4:30am, slightly (or not so slightly) intoxicated after a night out dancing. I was doing the habitual scroll through my Instagram timeline when I came across an E! News post detailing the events occurring at the Latin Grammy’s. This is where I first saw Mon Laferte’s political red carpet protest moment, where she completely bares her chest to strategically raise awareness of the grotesque acts of police brutality taking place in Chile right now.
Chile is currently experiencing a season of political unrest as thousands exercise their political right to protest. Protesters are taking to the streets to express their fury at the establishment and are demanding social reforms to address the high levels of inequality the country is experiencing.
Here is a useful link for more details on what is happening/has happened in Chile during the protests: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-50512093?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c452lzylemmt/chile-protests&link_location=live-reporting-story
In summary, 22 people have been killed as a result of excessive police force, while thousands have been seriously injured, tortured and/or sexually assaulted. These are absolutely abhorrent acts of injustice and I was profoundly moved by this whole situation, compelling me to write something about it then and there. I deeply admire Mon Laferte for using her platform to raise awareness of the human rights abuses that are happening all over the world. Mon Laferte reminded us all that our bodies are not merely sexual tools, they are powerful vessels – holding, giving and supporting life.
Here Mon Laferte chose to use her body to express a significant message. She utilised the power of the naked female form to highlight our human right to protest, to challenge norms, to shake systems, to change the world.
For if my body was a temple
It would be a shelter for the homeless
A second chance for sinners
A gateway to God
Through the love that radiates in us all
There would be no pretence here
No “holier than thou”
No role playing
No mask wearing
Just a group of God-fearing sinners
Trying to make their way Home.
There would be no saints,
For I am not one
For the good that I desire
I do not do,
But the evil that I do not want
This I practise
And it is in this temple
That only this kind of biblical vulnerability will reside.
Where there is no shame
For the reality of our human experience.
For all the ways we sin and fall short
Of God’s glory
Time and time again.
My temple would be
An abundance of loving arms
Mirroring that of the father of the prodigal son
Welcoming all home
Like estranged family
Ready to start anew
Oh, how eagerly God welcomes us home
Oh, how he yearns for us
How he pines and bleeds for us
But alas, my body is not a temple
This temporal cage does not deserve such recognition
My body is more like a prison of flesh
That my soul battles in
Constantly battling against my own human nature
Drifting me further and further away from the divine
May the Lord help marry my nature to my nurture
Help to bring peace to these two duelling entities
My innate sinful inclination
Versus
My holy burning aspiration
Only in you, Lord, will I find
Harmony and wholeness in this fatal human condition
For this I know:
Your Grace is sufficient,
Your Love is enough.
Welcome to Ruth's Rhapsody 