Because I Am a Woman

The world around is beautiful, yet here I stand confined,

The thoughts around are free, yet my voice is left behind.
The dreams around are blooming, yet my eyes are veiled,
Why? Because I am a woman.

I am taught to be gentle,
I am taught to be still,
I am taught to obey,
Why? Because I am a woman.

I am the one unheard,
I am the one unseen,
I am the one unspoken for,
I am the one restrained within silence,
Why? Because I am a woman.

The world is calling me to rise,
To speak, to see, to shine,
To walk beyond the bounds of fear,
To breathe in my own light.

Yet something holds me still,
My wings long to unfold,
Why? Because I am a woman,
Because I am a symbol of endurance,
Because I am the face of patriarchy’s hold.