Writers 
THE WOMAN THEY REFUSED TO HEAR
Do you hear me calling?
Do you hear me crying?
I am only a woman
Who longed to be heard,
But was silenced
Before I ever found the courage to speak.
They buried my dreams beneath chains
And called it marriage.
They dressed my suffering in the language of love
And expected me to call it home.
A woman with power
Is branded a witch
For daring to rise.
A woman with a voice
Is called difficult
For refusing to bow.
I wish the world could see me
Not as their mockery,
Not as the names they throw at me,
But as the warrior I have always been.
They fear the fury in my voice
But never ask what made it burn.
They judge the anger in my eyes
But never count the wounds behind them.
They remember every word I speak
But forget every silence I survived.
The abuse is etched deep into my skin,
Yet they tell me to smile.
They break my spirit
Then blame me for not being whole.
So, to keep from being stoned,
I retreat.
I fold my voice into my chest
And disappear into the safety of silence.
When a woman seeks power,
They call her a whore.
When she speaks with wisdom,
They call her proud.
When she refuses to obey,
They call her rebellious.
And when she finally breaks,
They ask why she was so angry.
But still
I rise.
Not because I am fearless,
But because I am tired of being afraid.
I am a woman.
I am more than their judgment,
More than their chains,
More than the silence they forced upon me.
And perhaps one day
The world will finally understand
I was never asking to be above anyone.
I was only asking to be seen.
To be heard.
To be free.
