What You Call Yourself

by Mary Mba (Ph.D)

I said I am, and the world listened—
not with ears, but with form,
shaping itself to match my breath,
rising like clay in the hands of faith.

I whispered I am tired,
and heaviness sat beside me.
I shouted I am lost,
and every road curled into fog.
But when I dared to say I am light,
the dark cracked open,
and stars rearranged themselves
to guide me home.

What you call yourself,
the universe carves into stone.
Call yourself broken,
and even the morning will hide.
Call yourself whole,
and healing will find your name.

It begins not in your doing,
but in your seeing—
in the hush between thoughts,
in the way your spirit hears its own echo
and calls it true.

Be careful with your I AM.
It is not a small phrase.
It is fire from the bush that burned
but was not consumed.

So stand firm.
Speak wisely.
Perceive clearly.
And know this:
the God within you is listening.
And responding.
Always.