Many forces assure me
that I am broken and damaged
dumb and stupid, deficient
unloveable, insignificant
not enough, a second-class human
without a mind of my own
and too emotional
too afraid to do things
too unstable to be taken seriously
I have been accused of
being a sinner
a floozy
who needs repentance to be holy and pure
a bitch
a hellcat
a radical loose cannon when I speak up
My mistakes have served as a curse that filters the treatment
I had to learn to endure
And you are asking me to be quiet now that I have woken up?
Why do you think I’d want to do that?
It took centuries to break the spell I was put in
whips on backs that I now incarnate
screams of the uterus obligated to be silent
The strength to resist losing my integrity
is what moves me
now that I walk revived
So please don’t be surprised
that my actions look like a rebellion,
when in reality it is the overdue expression
of who I was meant to be
My voice, my actions, and my existence
are not an inconvenience
I’m not here to satisfy your human needs
and adorn your throne when you misuse power
I’m here
fulfilling a divine role
and giving birth to the next generation of matriarchs
you intended to incinerate