I think I'm a porcelain doll that fell off the shelf
I need someone to pick me up and dust me off,
Straighten out my arms and legs
Maybe they'll repaint my eyes
Something dull, grey with a dull finish
I think they'll take away my red dress
Replace it with something Victorian and lady-like
They'll force shoes on my feet

I don't really know where I went wrong... Maybe
They wanted calligraphy instead Comic Sans
They wanted the hundred instead of the ninety-nine
They wanted to name me something simple, like a number
I wanted to be named after the wildflowers on my old dress
If I drew them on my arm, they would wash them off with a scratchy sponge and harsh words
I wanted my walls to be yellow but they made them white,
Sat me on a shelf I couldn't reach
With my legs crossed and my spine straight

When a mother came in to buy a doll for her daughter,
She chose me
Because I am an example of a lady
Lifeless pale skin
And shoes that would break my ankles if I could stand
But they didn't teach me to stand by myself
They told me that I had to be held
My mouth opens only when somebody wants me to speak
My eyes close when you tip me backwards

When I tell someone how I was forced into submission, they say
"No! You were manufactured that way."
I have a number printed on my back, just like everybody else
No matter how hard I try to rub the ink off
The only marks that rub off are the ones I make

They gave me one pen and said,
"Don't worry! It's washable."
As if I were afraid of the impact I might have with a permanent marker
As if I were afraid of having my voice heard
My voice wouldn't be graceful
I couldn't put a child to sleep using lullabies
But I could start a revolution with a single sentence
As if I were afraid of a revolution

Maybe it would crack my perfect skin
All of the hairline fractures he painted over would become chasms or even tattoos
My Victorian dress would catch fire and become red again for a second
Just before turning black
Something bold
Maybe the grey would chip off of my eyes and somehow-
They'd be green again