Look pretty!
Stay silent.
Don’t forget to clean the house
And make dinner.
Just do as you’re told, darling.

As women, we constantly hear things like these.
We’re trapped in a world where we’re seen
As objects to be used and played with by men.
We end up worn out,
Unable to locate the fire our spirits need to thrive. 

We’re forced to wear tight dresses,
Layers of makeup,
And heels we can barely walk in 
Just to fit into society’s impossible ideal. 

People judge us for every little trait we own.
They claim that we’re too emotional, overdramatic when
We call out their bullshit behavior,
All while the favored sex continues to hold us down  

That doesn’t mean we’ll stop getting up, though.
We’ll march in armies down the streets,
Dressed in ripped jeans, black tank tops,
And combat boots, ready to kick ass. 

There will be crowds of us,
With fists raised and signs that
Read “Women are powerful! We matter too.” 

This is the time for us to rise
And forget the lies we were told as children about
How a “proper lady” behaves.
Let’s rip off the disguise forced upon us,
and let the world hear our cries for equity. 

We are more than toys for boys,
We are warriors deployed
To protect the innocent
And defend one another in the heat of battle.
No more sitting back and playing helpless
While the big dogs run rabid through the town.
It’s time for us to show what we’re made of.

Editor: Shannon Hensley