They mistake my quiet words, my sugar tongue, my polite smile as weakness. They see a delicacy in my high voice and my patient consideration. They see the fragility of a doll dressed in silk and lace; they paint me with amiability. They take all of my kindness for weakness.
But they don't see the bullets on my tongue. They don't see the determination in my heart. They don't see how much strength it takes to be kind in a world that worships cruelty. They don't see my bravery; it would terrify them.
I am stronger than they could ever imagine. I've got acid in my blood and thousands of years of abuse on my mind. I am unapologetically female. An unapologetic woman in a world that teaches "Sorry" as a girl's first word.
They see conquest in the gentle slope of my skin. They draw lines of submission on my womb. They bathe me in shame; they dress me in modesty and expectation. They take all of my kindness for weakness.
And if they've glimpsed the fire I pull from my skin, and felt the burn drag across this rough space, they spit anger to put it out, fear creeping in. I am the threat.
I don't need a solid body to be strong. I've got missile words and a fervent mind. I've got an unquenchable heart. I'd die for this. I am kind because I wish to grow something lovely in this earth. I am kind because this world is cruel. I am kind because I am alive. Because I have the choice to be. Because I am strong enough.
They scoff at my strides, they dismiss my security with false wisdom, as though they know me more than I can ever know myself. As if muscle is all that has ever mattered, when in fact it has rarely achieved greatness.
They take all of my kindness for weakness. Because they don't understand what strength is.
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Restless Things
Poesía"I didn't realize what damage heat can do To flesh so bare So I poured you out all over me Until I was undone And shaking But after the fire has gone All that's left is ash and wilted skin So now I know Better" -The Things You Left Behind (Poetry, P...
