I Want!

I want to express my frustration

But I can’t

I want to shout in rage

But I can’t

I want to inflict the same pain onto others that they have inflicted onto me

But I can’t

I want to crawl up in a fetal position and make the world go away

But I can’t

I want to cry until my tear ducts are dry

But I can’t

I am a Black woman and I must avoid the stereotypes that the world has attached to me

If I express frustration I am difficult

If I shout in rage I am a aggressive

If I inflict the same pain onto others that they have inflicted onto me I am petty

IF I crawl into a fetal position and ask the world to go away I am lazy and antisocial

If I cry until my tear ducts are dry I am a weak drama queen

So I will smile sweetly while my heart is breaking

I will speak calmly while the walls of my life are caving

I will embrace the world when I desire solitude

As if I don’t I will be considered just another Black bitch with an attitude