Crucify me on the cross of language

Encaged within the five senses

Perceive stereotypes unfold as

eyes flick to minimal shirts

Long colored skirts billow from a bicycle

My hair is long; white girl style

Toned tan skin suggests I’m wild

Make-up-less eyes appear natural

But only look up for booty call

And yet I am not just a body.

 

Barefoot feet streak past the finish

Academic marathon shall be diminished

Grow my own food into a masterpiece

Stay up late teaching my sister to read

I wrap my hair around my fingers

Rip from the seams, punishment lingers

Eye vs. eye debatical

Drop gaze I, should do what I’m told

Exhale my soul through a pen

Erase, tear, begin again

Crying hard wishing someone would fix me

Release me, victim to expectation

Struggling to be my own hero

My mind holds the reins, chains me at zero.

 

Redemption is my conscious breath

Permission for my mind to rest

Illuminate standards that aren’t my own

Check my motives, center down.

Air from my lips mingles with the world

I am all I can perceive, in the form of a girl

I am that little voice inside

Who knows everything will be alright.