You don't hurt people with a 'No'
You hurt them with a 'Maybe'
When you know the answer
Is 'No'

I've never been a feminist
I've always ignored any possible pay gap

I've never attended a march
I've always felt like inequality belongs in the 1800s

I've never been opposed to a man holding my door
I've always felt like I was better off ignoring the movement

I've never stayed updated on the Me Too stories
I've always felt like half of the women were lying anyways

I've heard of patriarchy
Yet never fought against it

But now I'm startled
Because it wasn't until today

that I even knew Matriarchy was a word

Have you ever heard of Planet B?

It’s the one with the beautiful blue oceans,
Crystal smooth water pouring on forever

It’s the one with the soft blue sky’s,
Dark star lit nights and clouds of all shapes and sizes

It’s the one with all the plants,
Tall looming trees, coral reefs hidden from your touch, and precious delicate flowers

It’s the one with all the animals,
Birds flying, fish swimming, cheetahs running

It’s the one without the humans
It’s the one we say we’re all gonna escape to when Planet A cant take care of us anymore

It’s the one that many of us say isn’t real
It’s the one many of us say we’ll never find
It’s the one we’re standing on right now
It’s the one called Earth

You are taught to scream into your pillow,
So nobody can hear it.

You are taught to smother it in your punches,
So you can relieve your anger.

I haven’t screamed in a long time now
There’s a buildup of pain in my throat
It’s forgotten how to let itself out

I’m walking down the streets every morning
Wondering how so many people live so many lives

I’m overwhelmed

The pillow in my mind
It’s white
It’s fluffy
And suddenly I’m muffled

This is a letter to brown eyed girls
I know you’ve heard the love songs and seen the movies
I know you’ve been confronted by them in your own life

I know you’ve seen the blue that reflects the depths of the ocean
I know you’ve succumbed to how easy it would be to swim in them

I know you’ve heard the rumors about how they light up when they laugh
I know you’ve seen the life they hold even when all the salt is drained out of them

But I know more than that, I know the things you could never know yourself

I know that the power of melting gold is only something you will ever have
I know that mystery is better when you look at something and can’t see what’s there

I know that the reason people are afraid of the dark is because they can’t understand it
I know the ocean isn’t warm the way a hot fudge sundae is

I know that when the sun is laid upon you, you light up uncontrollably
I know this fire that burns within you is eternal

I know that your eyes allow you to stay hidden and that although you might not stand out in a crowd, your secrets will only be deciphered by those who care enough to search for them

You are deep, you are wisdom, you are mystifying and you are power
A power so buried that even you can’t see it
A power that doesn’t have to shine to be potent
A power that only girls like you have
This is a letter to brown eyed girls

You consume me
I'm not stopping you

You're stabbing me
Because I'm asking you

I'm hurting you
By letting you hurt me

and i see it
i do
but im not stopping

this is the one with the good memories
this is the one with the awful tears
this is the one with the old beginnings
this is the one with the most fears

this is the one where I work to win
this is the one where we only lose
this is the one where I try to hate again
this is the one where my hate's a bruise

this is the one where you hurt me
this is the one where I let you
this is the one where I'm crazy
this is the one that always feels new

this is the one when my heart breaks
this is the one when things go well
this is the one when I find my voice
this is the one when I can not yell

this is the one where I'm pressured
the one where I want to scream
the one where if I express myself I'll lose you,
and everything we gained right in between

that was the one where I lost my rhyme
this is the one with you and me
this is the one where you're the real you
but that last one was the only one I see