Loud.

Stop
trying
to
wrap
us
in
packaging
deemed
suitable
by
YOU.
Our layers of femininity
can't be dictated by
men in suits
with a lack
of our female
counterparts
in the room
defending our truths
& our right to choose
whether or not we want
to give birth and/or become mothers
in the event
of a preventative
mishap,
mistake....or, I don't know,
RAPE.

You
Can't
Make
Us.

We are NOT made by Mattel
& our limbs do not bend
at your discretion
& if уσυ think
I'm simply asking
for too much
when I politely
ask to be left alone,
ignore your cat call
or reject your request
for an opportunity
to "get to know you better"
while en route to
wherever I'm going,
then with all due respect
Mr. Man....SCREW YOU.
I should not have to cover
my Godsent curves
to appease your
appetite to be a jerk
& my skirt
is not an open invitation.
& no matter the language
in which I speak it,
NO MEANS NO.
& I don't give a damn
how far we've reached,
when I say STOP,
you have no other options
but to do just that.
There are NO excuses
& if you attempt to pursue
your "happy ending" after the fact,
then you are deserving of a jail cell.
But here I am,
in 2016
reading a piece
that took longer to write
than Brock Turner's served time.

We
Are
Not
The
distraction required
for you to acquire
the masculinity that lacks within.
We
Are
Not
Your
Scapegoats.
&
It is ok
that I am
not JUST a wife & mother.
Surprisingly enough,
we have the mental capacity
to grasp & be
ANYTHING our heart desires.
If crockpot recipes
& fast food drive-thru's
play a role in assisting
with dinner
whilst we are off saving lives,
prosecuting crimes,
filing paperwork,
writing poetry,
telling stories,
advocating for our sisters,
flipping burgers,
maintaining a company,
overseeing production
or RUNNING
FOR U.S PRESIDENT
We don't have to explain
how that
does not take precedence
over the PERSONAL
confinements
of what resides in OUR HOMES.
I mean,
HE
never has to.
&
We can
wear our hair
how ever the hell we want.
If our kinks & coils
offend the sensitive aspect
of your tainted character
that has nothing to do with us.
& if these fluffy, straightened,
long, short, shaved
brightly colored,
braided, loc'd, or twisted tresses
stresses уσυ,
then go see a therapist,
Because
Our
Crowns
Fit
US
just fine.

We
Are
Not
Pretty
Paintings
Of
Perfection
to hang upon your distorted walls,
we are pieces of unattainable art
in our own right.
& Your attempt
to maintain
this packaging
that you have seemed
to adapt for me
is null & void.
I've outgrown
every piece of the wrapping
& I am allowed to do so
without your permission & my submission.

We are Godesses.
We are golden.
We are young, we are old, we are flawed
We are triumphant, we are troubled,
we are educated & intelligent. We struggle.
We are survivors. We are tattooed. We are dainty.
We are strength. We are weakness.
We are light. We feed from our breasts.
We are mothers. We are wives. We are partners.
We get tired. We stress.
& still we rise.
We
Are
The
Epitome
Of
Everything
The Human being
Is meant
To
Be.

& YOU cannot silence us.
It's an impossible task.

​©2016