I am more than a small waistline and an hourglass figure I am powerful and wise I am they that gave birth to a thousand generations And forged the way for others like me to be free of oppression I am many lifetimes of wisdom I am they that fought a war few cared about but many saw I am the gentle breeze and the howling wind I am ferocious and beautiful A painting of many colors and a stronghold for the weak I am every color of the rainbow and every flavor of ice cream I am kissed by the sun and hugged by the moon I am chaos and peace and everything in between I am a message, a warning, I am not to be abused and manhandled I am to be loved and respected I will not be forced into the quiet mold of a biased society This isn’t a man’s world It’s mine I am the working woman, the toiling woman The bend-over-backwards-for-her-children woman But I am not the stay-at-home mother I am not the submissive housewife Cooking-all-day-behind-a-white-picket-fence woman I am street smart and body smart Cultivating a world for those like me, after me I am a mix of races and cultures And as Staceyann Chin said I come in too many flavors for one simple spoon I am woman |