Who Are You To Call Me Out of My Name

Who Are You to Call Me Out of My Name

Who are you to call me out of my name?
Coming from the same womb, breathing the same air.
You look down you nose at me and see something that isn’t there.
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who are you to call me out of my name?
Playing on the playground and wanting to be my friend?
Sitting with me at lunch and eating from my plate.
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who are you to call me out of my name?
Leaving me alone to fend for myself.
Ignoring my cries when I begged you for help.
Turning your back when no one else was around.
Who are you to call me out of my name?

You breathe the same air as me
We both eat from Mother Earth
We have grown and lived in the same world so,
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who are you to call me out of my name?
I came from your womb
I breathed in the life which you gave to me
I ate from your table and drank from your fountain so,
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who are you to call me out of my name?
Am I the monster that lives under your bed as a child?
Am I the thief that steals away in the night?
Am I the one who left you battered and bruised?
Who are you to call me out of my name?

I am the sister, friend, confidant that held your deepest secrets
I am the diary your wrote in at night when you needed to find solstice
I am the brunt of your anger when you had no one else to blame
I am the kindred spirit holding memories most dear so,
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who are you to call me out of my name?
When no one welcomed your mistakes I stood forever at your side
When no one welcomed your accomplishments I stood forever at your side
When you wanted to give up I stood forever at your side so I say it again,
Who are you to call me out of my name?

Who Are You To Call Me Out Of My Name?
I will tell you who you are:
You are the thief who tried to steal my soul
You are the bully who tried to break me down
You are the one I reached out to only to have my hand slapped away
You are the one who spat in my face
You are the one who kicked me when I tried to get on my feet
You are the one who stabbed me in the back and left me bleeding on the floor
You are the one who killed me over and over again trying to rid yourself of your own pain
You are the one who tried to kill my dreams
You are the one who called me less than nothing
You are sister, brother, aunt, uncle, friend, lover and confidant
You are the one who tried to call me out of my name

Who are you to call me out of my name?

By Stephanie D. Dodge 2/26/2013