I was 13, when it was revealed to me
Through some self-exploration,
That spot beginning with the seventh letter of the alphabet…
It was then I discovered that orgasms come in pairs,
Like shoes…
And if I kept my hand steady…
I’d have a new pair every time…
That was until one night I was violated
By the sound of my grandma knocking
Asking me if my stomach hurt because of all the moaning
She pushed the door open and found me naked,
From the waist down, with my hands
Between the places my mother told me where babies came from…
And said, “You know that’s illegal?”
So I removed my hand from that southern place
I had just begun to be acquainted with and contemplated the idea,
“Masturbation is illegal?”
So do they ticket you for your first offense?
Do you pay a hefty fine?
Or do they give you a warning, the first time?
Would I be housed in a cell?
Eating bologna sandwiches and drinking little hug juices
While women named Big Mattie and Lola asked me, “
What are you in for?”
Big brother was watching and
I shuddered at the thought of my day in court,
As they read the charges,
“People versus the Masturbator!”
I shuddered at the thought and
Tucked away all the urges I had
And lived in constant fear every time
I saw a police car drive by…
It wasn’t until I was sixteen and a girl named Sophia
Explained after laughing for twenty minutes about my claim,
“So you can’t go to jail for that?”
“Masturbation isn’t illegal?”
“So you won’t have hairy palms, go blind, or go insane?”
I was relieved to discover that the wondrous exploration of self-pleasure
That platform of personal organized eager acts of love had no ties to the law…
No bologna sandwiches or little hug juices,
Just an ambitious breathless journey to
That seventh letter in the alphabet for a new pair of shoes…
Kelly “Native Child” Mays is a School-Based Therapist for Hegira Programs, Inc, teaches community education classes at the YMCA, as well as facilitates numerous groups in her community aimed at emotional growth. She received her Bachelors of Science from Central Michigan University in Community Development, and her Masters of Science from the University of Phoenix in Mental Health Counseling. Currently she is pursuing her Doctorate in Counseling from Walden University.
Kelly is a Limited Licensed Counselor (LLPC) specializing in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Group facilitation, as well as providing holistic mental Health services with an emphasis in American Indian/Alaskan Native culturally informed therapy. She facilitates workshops on a variety of topics including most recently, “Intergenerational Activism’s Impact on Cultural Connectivity, Self-Esteem, and Self-Worth in Women of Color” she conducted at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic & Sexual Violence (MCEDSV) 2014 Woman of Color Institute in Mt Pleasant, MI. She enjoys her work as a facilitator, educator, therapist, and activist because she believes her small contribution to the world will inspire others.
Kelly is also a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Nation, and served on the Health Board, where she assisted her community by promoting and protecting the health of her tribe and their work towards emotional, spiritual, wellness for all tribal members. She is most proud of her community work because it gives her an active role in shaping future generation’s health outcomes in a positive way.
Kelly is a domestic violence advocate as well as survivor and has been doing advocacy work for a little over five years. Currently she works with HAVEN as a volunteer on the Speaker’s Bureau. She recently founded her own organization, “A Survivor’s Story,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to prevention and awareness of domestic violence through storytelling, poetry, activism, group facilitation and social media. She is particularly passionate about her advocacy work because it has been a source of healing and inspiration for her, and hopes through her efforts she can inspire other survivors to find their voice and tell their story.
Kelly is a slam poet and has been competing in slams for over twenty years and uses her poetry as a vehicle to raise awareness on domestic violence and other issues regarding women. Most recently spent her time competing on the 2013 and 2014 Colorful women Slam Team, as well as the 2010 and 2011 Saginaw Slam Team. She has been writing poetry since she can hold a pen. Some of her more intimate pieces of work are the poems written about her two daughters, Celeste and Cheyenne. She describes her daughters as the greatest poems ever written, and in her spare time enjoys movies and cooking with them.