I Am A Small Woman, But My Voice Will Be Heard

I am a small woman
Birthed from my mother’s womb with barely a squeak coming out of my mouth
A tiny little thing
And always in the front row of desks, front in the line, front in every class picture
Yes I am small but I have a huge mouth
Passed down to me by my ancestors
Who pushed their oversized lips around the conch
That blew a tune so loud it was heard around the world
A sound of rebellion and freedom
A song birthed into me I cannot keep to myself
It overflows like the rivers my great great grandmothers once washed laundry from
Strong like the rocks they threw the clothes onto
First to remove the stains, then to dry in the sun
And so I too rebel, I too do not hold back against injustice
So one day we may remove the stain left by the blood of my people spilled on the Earth
Set our mistakes out in the sun to shrivel like a raisin
And breath in new dreams that breed hope into every woman, man and child
I let my words spill until the pitcher is so empty and every glass is half full
I am a small woman but I wear my heels so high so I can tower over the hatred
Not the Macy’s pumps but the very heels of my feet
That push me up and let me fly with fireproof wings Icarus could only dream of
And when I walk in those heels with my sisters
I feel the roots spread out amongst us, feel myself sprout like a beanstalk that refuses to be cut down

My sister is even smaller than me
She likes to wear my real heels sometimes and walk around pretending to be me
And I let her
I want her to know the feeling of being so big
I want her to never think that she is too little, or her nose too large or her hair too nappy
So that whenever someone tries to tell her “hey that’s not a women’s place”
May she put on her own pair of heels and show that someone her true strength
I am a small woman
Raised by a small woman whose voice can be heard from miles away
Forged by the fires of her beliefs that I could be whatever I pleased
Sanded down by words reminding me to always be kind but never accept unwanted realities
Held by arms that could only be made of steel, they never let me fall, even when I dropped myself onto the floor
So for her I will fight
For her I will grow to fill 1,000 rooms
Step into them in my too-high heels
And let my voice be heard