I Am Everything

If

If you can climb the tree
And mommy lets you;
If you can still get the teacher to answer your question,
Even after she told everyone to put their hands down;
If you can like math and science and computer programming
And not be given a weird look;

If you can walk home to your dorm at night,
Alone and not afraid;
If you can meet three-fifths of the requirements
And still get the job;
If you can get married or have children or both,
And safely assume that no one will ask you
How you manage to do it all;

If you can get angry,
But it's not part of your biological cycle;
If you can speak
And not be hushed or spoken over;
If you can advocate for yourself
And be seen as confident, not bossy;
If you can negotiate
And you don't need to smile to do so;

If you can ask for a promotion
And let it be known that it benefits you
And not have to frame your request
In a pleasant manner for your superiors;
If you can succeed
And the public perception is that you earned it;

If you can earn at least three percent more
Than Sally across the hall,
Even though you have the same job
And she has a Master's
And you don't;
If you can run for office
And answer questions about your platform,
Not what you're wearing;

If you can have
Infinite opportunities;
If you can be a working actor
At sixty-five;
If you can travel abroad,
Without written permission from your spouse or father;
If you can get a divorce
And your parents will still speak to you;
If you can drive and own a home
And simply show your face
In the far reaches of the world,
Without fearing death;
And, if you can go to school
Without being shot in the face;

If you can know all of this;
If you can speak up
For those who aren't as fortunate as you
Just because they don't have a Y-chromosome;
Then finally, you'll be a man, a good man, a real man.