How am I?
How am I?
I am oppressed.
Here, I am not free
Or heard
Or respected.
Here, I am told what to do with my own body.

And I can’t help but wonder—
How dare they?
How dare they force me into a piece of cloth,
One they know I will disregard?
How dare they back me into a corner
And wrap me in a headscarf?
How dare they oppress me for my freedom
And cover me as if that's the answer?

Why punish the victim,
When that won’t stop the victor?
Why shun the abused
While glorifying the abuser?

How dare they expect me to listen—
How dare they,
When I have a fire that can’t be put out
Not even by my blood and tears.

Hot water lap dance
Feeling quite comfortable
Tide urges me onwards
Line fishes for something
Along edges of mountainous
Erupting horizons vapour dissolving
Passing clouds blue sky thinking
Revision of indignant existence
Not feeling much for a while
Pittance good riddance and guile
World revolving around the child
Locked inside away from myself
Disconnected coming up with plans
Sometimes prefer doing nothing
Just neglecting my health
That’s okay still alive to tell the tale
Now just need to execute in the name of sacrifice
Make the journey up to now worthwhile
For every moment of doubt and pain
Hope and distraught freedom
Despite the shame already
Would be even worse to waste
The opportunity have been given
So let the gift not be in vain

"Will I make it?"
the heart cries.

A thousand tries,
yet I fall.

"Should I lower my expectations?"
it whispers.

"No, it's not over until you win,"
the mind insists,
like night cradles the sky;
light will come soon.

I couldn't help but smile when you talked, something contagious in your voice that sent bubbles through my stomach.
you didn't think you were attractive, and I guess I didn't think I was either....
but god, you had no idea.
everything about you was beautiful, from your hazel eyes to your red hair, every word you spoke was like honey, and I was getting more and more stuck every time we talked.
it didn't take me long before I knew....
I knew you were the one I wanted to fall asleep beside,
the one I wanted to hold hands with through life,
the one I wanted to tell my day too.
and all it took was your honeydew voice....

There once was from Okefenokee
A bullfrog who sang karaoke:
     He sang with conviction
     And a crystal clear diction,
But his tone was a little too croaky.

I won’t look into your eyes,
you don’t see mine.
We don’t hear our voices.
Our trust will never be whole.

My thoughts flow too fast to catch;
language is limited.
I’m a small, whispering brook
in a forgotten forest.
Your reflections are vast oceans
that you tame like wild animals.

Here I am, a foreigner among concepts.
I want to know the truth about who I am,
but my tired hands and heavy head,
no longer work as they did before.

You asked for an opinion.
But how could I give one?
I’m behind cold glass,
trying to piece together flashbacks
of who I was just an hour ago.

This world is so unpredictable, frenetic.
I see people everywhere,
their plans left at the bus stop,
driven by the will to survive.
An addictive vortex of emotions draws us in
as fears fuel the planned chaos.

We are living now in the mirror world.
Everything is reversed.
Here, the victims must apologize
to their oppressors.

How could I speak to them about peace and values?
I try to offer a simple smile to cheer up,
to keep my mind sane.
I’m a silent voice in rough waters.

If I didn't write,
I would be doomed.
I'm still fueled by that scared youth,
That child powerless.

But now I have my voice,
I will never be powerless again.

i have been home for
many voices
but mine was always
unheard