spoken word for my sister

There are so many battles to be fought today.
I’m a woman, I’m proud, but I’m also afraid because
The guy on the subway looked at me that way
And I know he’s not looking for my eyes
In his mind, he’s got a hand on my thigh
And he’s climbing, higher, up high
“Just relax, baby, you’re beautiful.”

I don’t know what I did to deserve this
He means to give me worth, I feel worthless
And I bet he would laugh if he heard this
Because I’m just being a “dramatic feminist.”
This is why we march, it goes back to Genesis
Women coming second: pent-up poetess
But you won’t hear the poetry ‘til we’re free.

Please tell me what it is that I’m not understanding
And don’t tell me that my request for safety is demanding
With the way it is now, I feel quite stranded
On an island of survivors, but in the distance I see
A free land, see no one on my island is free -
We’re behind bars which “protect us” but we’re imprisoned, not free
To embrace our sexuality, for fear of of it being mistaken for an invitation.

I’d like to tell my sister to thicken her skin
To stay strong, to stay silent, (never let him in-
[Or see the] -side of you) that shows you are afraid.
But I know passivity and masks will never win the day
We’ve seen what the threat of walls can do,
It’s guns versus roses and yet war isn’t our truth
So I wrote this for my sister, to tell her

Sister, stay soft. Strengthen your wild flame with truth.
Dance often, sing loudly, hold onto your youth.
Channel your passion into art and guard your beautiful heart
Use that heart to empower and give revolution a kickstart
Draw near to the hurt, the marginalized, the poor
Introduce them to courage and remind them what community is for
And know, (baby, sister,) you are so damn beautiful.