You can't sit down this way, you should not speak this way, you must respect those who disrespect you the most. You must be excellent but not too outstanding. You must not slouch,you must be feminine, delicate but be as strong as a man. You must be educated but not too educated. You must have kids and nurture them, you must have a career. You can aim for a little below the stars but not the stars themselves. They're not for you. You should be comfortable with second best. You must always choose to satisfy the majority. You can't speak up, lest you're perceived wrongly. You must remain in the shadows and be supportive. You must be weak but not too weak. You must cower in fear. You have to plead to be respected,to be seen as a worthy counterpart. You have to constantly prove that you're enough. Can you juggle it all together? Are you even worth it?. You must not bow to stereotypes but you're already stereotyped.When does it end? You ask. I have to do twice as much, elasticize myself so I can prove myself. To be a woman is to be disregarded, to be trampled on , to constantly fight to be seen, fight stereotypes and beliefs, always agitate. Would we ever be free from this constant struggle?

                      It would be a laugh for me to reach the top of the shelf, let alone place anything on it. I should achieve but being an overachiever is frowned upon What side are you on?. I have to please others, be overly kind, a shell of myself, buried in my cocoon. I must make myself smaller so my male colleague's pride is not bruised, He thinks he is better than me, he also thinks I do not deserve a spot high up there. My success continually angers him, his only problem. I'm just a girl and perhaps I'll make sure I behave like one.

                       For so long I've heard so many perspectives about who I'm meant to be, act like, be seen as. Now, my only charge is to spin this doctored narrative. I'm a woman! I'm nobody's subordinate,an alternative, an addition, even an afterthought. No, I'm whole, I'm enough and I'm complete in myself. I believe this so why do you constantly struggle with that thought. You should search yourself and find out what is chipping the very edge of your soul. That  bitterness, resentment, the disrespect and the condescending nature has now swallowed you. Why are you against Women?

                          I've heard she is too loud, she's too opinionated, she is fierce, she is fiesty, she is terrible, she is this, she is that. All stupid adjectives used to describe a contraption they desperately need to fit me in. Are you that deranged and unhappy that my happiness constantly worries you? I would say fear not but that would be a humongous lie. This is for all and sundry to hear. I will be unapologetically loud, I will be myself. I refuse to bend, curve and adapt. I will not be moulded. I'm as rigid as  ever. I will be an advocate. I will not speak to satisfy you or appease your large egos. I will speak my truth through any means. I would be called many names by many who have so blatantly refused that I'm the price . The siege is now. Godforbid I try to cater to your many whims and caprices. Too much has unfolded, I'm restless. I can't take it any longer. 

                           Nobody can and should be able to point or even speak about who owns me.I'm not an object and not a commodity. I've been laid back for too long, comfortable with mediocrity and what have you. Like a phoenix, I will rise out of the ashes. My scars will tell my story, you will learn to appreciate me and see my worth. The time for us is NOW! You want to know who tells my story. Unfortunately there are a lot of authors and the only goal is to secure the publishing rights. I've been silenced for too long, I've been a victim for too long.

                             Now I'm choosing to write a new book,I opt to tell my story. You have no part in it. You will only look from afar and be dazed. I'm my own pilot. I belong to myself, you do not exist now. You're merely a figment of my imagination, that is if you even exist to me. I will attain every height there is. I will not and never ever settle. I make my own decisions now. My body, my life, my career, my choices will not be debated. I'm not a toy. I'm a complete being, therefore I'll bask in all that there is. I will take life in its stride, never look back. The only way for me to win is to triumph, to prove the naysayers wrong. But why do I need to prove anyone wrong? Have I been conditioned to care what they think?, to  meet up to their standards? There needs to be an overhaul. Perhaps it's too late for me.I do it for myself, I do it for my daughter, I do it for my sister, I do it for my mother, the women around me, I do it for the unborn generations.

                             "What will your children eat?Will your husband like this? What if your in-laws don't like this? Your husband is the head, his word remains final! You're there to serve. All my life I've been trained to live a life that's not mine. I've never been trained to be an individual but rather a person who is going to satisfy the masses and their stupid projections and objectification.Now I solemnly vow to make it my life's mission to live a life that solely belongs to me. I will be loud, I will be happy, I will not be put under. I break all barriers and surpass all that is expected of me. If I have not yet found my voice, I'm on the path to snatching it back from the thieves who have planned  to make sure I would not be seen. 

                              Ask your cowardly little self why you're scared. Does our empowerment and voices bother you that much? Why are you against our success? Or do you feel threatened. Whatever conceived or preconceived notions you have about us is slowly eating you up. You will be forced to see us excel while you hate from the shadows. We don't want to be held down, we don't want to be silenced. We want to be seen, belong to ourselves, thrive, exist. That's all we simply ask. Why do you deny us? What are you scared of? We want to tell our stories. The narrative belongs to us now.

                                I'm the only principal that gets to tell my story, nobody has a say in it. I'm solely responsible for my actions. I'm my own person. Society will never dictate who I get to be. So listen, you cowards! If you ever get a vain idea that you could make me conform, you won't leave unscathed. I'm no longer timid, fragile or scared. I'm in charge!

#WM2024