Power Wanting

She stood
In a sea of men
she stood up,
stood up to the President.

Again, today,
she stood up
in the face of hate.
she spoke her mind,
from a depth of conviction,
based on her faith.

I shouted with joy
at her strength
as a woman,
as a human being.

And then I wept.
I wept for the woman
whom I have known all my life,
whose self-worth was thwarted
so early in life.
This woman who could not stand up,
did not stand up,
who was silent
in the face of disrespect.
She was silent
while being demeaned,
while being used
and abused,
while being reproached
while being insulted.

She could not find words
To respond with strength and clarity,
She could not shake the fear
that if she spoke her truth
however different from theirs,
they would not accept her,
they would not love her,
and relationships would be harmed,
frayed, and perhaps forever broken.

She thought she honored what was,
never fully realizing
that in doing so
she did not honor herself,
honor herself as someone
deserving a voice,
inviting respect,
commanding respect,
the respect
that loving beings afford each other.

II.
“The time has come,"
she said to herself,
“The time has come,
to stand,
grounded in strength,
to find my voice,
in the full knowledge
of who I am
who I have become,
confident and centered,
honoring my essence,
my individuality,
honoring myself
in my full wisdom."

I have become.
lam.

III.
Come, my Sisters,
let us rise,
stand,
stand with full confidence,
as we raise our voices
to speak with clarity,
with certainty,
tempered with kindness,
coming from the wisdom
of knowing
who we are,
being heard,
being seen,
in the fullness of our being.