She was taught to conceal everything that made her human;
her plain skin, her stained past, all her mistakes because
it was more important to live life as an image than as a person

She didn’t like to cry because it wasn’t a world that honored
vulnerability; she knew what God wanted but even mustard
seeds are washed away from the garden when it rains all day

She wanted to tell the truth and all it could be was about
her own life but that’s not what everyone wanted to hear; so
instead she asked too many questions and lost a friend

She thought about everything she was told when she wasn’t
old enough to ask why; everybody that meant anything said
things that now make her ask how they could believe those things

She wondered if she needed to fix things up inside but couldn’t
decide if it really mattered; she could talk about her children
and her mom but that something inside wanted to feel alive

She left the past behind and kissed her youth sweetly as it was
her time to finally be who she was but it had taken so long to have
the courage to accept the truth that she became angry at herself

She knew she would never be able to change the world but she
thought she could change herself; it took her away from growing
old to take a stand on the truth and get to know who people are

She heard the big speech and the cries of war and warnings about
evil and it made her finally cry out loud; that’s when she knew she
was a passionate woman because it wasn’t about a man