I AM A BROWN GIRL

I am a brown girl
Unwanted from the start
If not for brave mothers
I’d be flushed in the toilet
Or slaughtered in honor
But I live despite the odds
There is nothing that favors
Yet, I keep defying all norms
Back where I come from
Lust and bigotry rule the roost
All my life I struggle to break
Those ruffian glass ceilings
Not knowing where I belong
But following my gut
With hope that I am worth
Then I’m married off
Either in a trade or of will
Still doesn’t mean much
As I continue to merely exist
No matter what I achieve
It’s beneath a man
When opportunity strikes
And I travel to far away lands
Dreams in my eyes
Holding my head up high
Sashaying into equality
Alas, it is the same here
Personality penalties galore
Social inequity all over
Glass cliffs give me the edge
Risking my life’s harmony
Told subtly I don’t deserve
Because my sisters need more
Confidence is called arrogance
Hard work goes unrecognized
Don’t know what turns the tables
Well, my turn may never come
Until I land below the red line
Which I perhaps never will
Born to take the roads
That’ve never been taken
Time will never be right
So, I will make it right now
Come what may
Future belongs to me
No matter what holds
Proud of who I’ve become
Honored how far I’ve come
To stand tall on my feet
Making my own destiny