Not to take myself too seriously, but ... please don't steal this. It doesn't matter if you like it, but ... don't steal.

The Politics of Silence



As a little girl, I played too long on the swings
not long enough with "girly things"
I liked my dresses long, if at all
short dresses lead to skinned knees if you fall

i got older and changed my tune
stopped dancing by the light of the moon
i tried to play by the same old rules
i had the clothes, the hair, the patriarchal tools
i believed my best friend when she said i was plain
when i didn't wear makeup, so i bought the paint and played the game

i believed the magazines when they said i was fat
so i starved myself thin to prove i could win
and i didn't really see that i gave up the "Me"

i woke up one day and looked in the mirror
at the sad-looking, painted-up girl who wanted to be thinner
who tried to impress men she didn't even respect
and i realized I wasn't quite gone just yet.

Now, I know I am good as I stand here today
that I can talk often, dance wildly, and write loudly
that I don't have to hide behind you want me to be
and I don't really care anymore and I see
that I don't have to pretend I am what I'm not
and I don't have to justify what lies I haven't bought
I am good as I am, the feminist girl who talks too much
the one in your class you just wish would shut up

But I stayed silent for years and I know all too well
the pain women endure when they silence themselves
So I'll talk too much, write too loudly, break too much from your norm
and hope that I made a difference for things to really transform