With all that's been happening in the world, the pandemic, protest against police brutality (Black Lives Matter), #metoo movement, and so much more I felt compelled to write about it.
As a woman of color in a world of unrest, I felt a duty to be vocal. I find that writing about the world helps me to deal with those things that I can not control. It's been a while since I've written about my feelings, mostly because in order to do do, I needed to open myself up to the feeling the pain around me. For years I tried to ignore it, but now, the world is screaming around me and I have to listen to it.
So, here is my first attempt at expressing myself with regards to the current state of the world.
Because I Am
Original poem by: Cherita Axel
I am trying hard to understand this place,
a world where being me is questionable.
Where everything I stand for is made less
by the color of my skin or the curves of my hips.
Where my femininity is prejudged by
people with no idea of what it’s like
to walk in my light, or to breathe in my soul.
Where my skin color has somehow made
my humanity less than yours,
my intelligence questioned, my worth… less.
Why can’t you see the value that I bring?
The strength of my being?
Is my laughter somehow less than yours?
My pain not as deep my love not as strong?
Still, we walk the same landscapes,
breathe the same air, dream the same dreams.
To be happy, to be loved, because we are.
Because I am your daughter, sister, mother, friend.
Because I am your neighbor, co-worker, a stranger.
I am everything, I am nothing … I am you.