The sound of my own voice
dormant for so long
Jars me unexpectedly and painfully
from the unwelcome silence

Bones rattle inside my head
unused to the volume
The subjugated resonance
erupts from the confines of my soul

Embers smoldering century
after century ignite within me
Injustice, servitude, acquiescence
all now banished from this body

Sparks kindled in youth blown bigger by the condemnation of me,
Of my kind, of Womanhood
grow into an unstoppable bonfire

A roaring blaze to protect those
of my kind young and old
To wake them from their apathy
shake them from concerted paralysis

Remember and stand against coercion
fight against suppression of self
Our right to choose the path we want or need to take with and for our bodies

Not for what someone else believes
we should do