I do not want your respect,
Nor do I care for sympathy,
For at this point in time,
All I can muster is apathy.

I do not care if you stand with me,
For all I need is three.
A couple makes an impact,
But a crowd changes history.

I do not want your mockery
Of the truth, of experience, of pride.
I do not care about your status quo
Or what social ladder you had to climb.

So, the black you wear and the words you recite
Are merely the words of someone else,
So though you may think you are standing,
You have no feelings to be felt.

This fight is simply not yours to win,
For light reveals the Truth,
And according to every moral telling,
The bad guys always lose.

I do not want your signs or pins,
For phrases surely die.
Because honestly, we need climbers,
And the only way up is time.

I do not want your petty posts
Filled with rehearsal and practiced lines.
If you really wanted to make an impact,
Stop creating a shadow and donate your light.

I do not want your constant questioning,
For it sounds as though she’s to blame—
Your investigation compares to abuse.
Would you be more understanding if men and women were ranked the same?

I do not want your selfish pity.
I cringe when I hear your apologies.
I am not looking for someone to listen;
I am searching for a stage to speak.

I do not want your worried guilt.
I do not care that you’ve changed,
For penitence is simply up to you,
But right now, you’re saving your name.

I do not want to be your reassurance.
Forgiveness is merely for me.
Though we have been taught by the same book,
Different from yours, my love is free.

I do not want you stopping our progress,
So, out of respect, move out of our way.
Stop opening your mouth and wasting your breath;
There’s something we want to say.

We want equality and acknowledgement too.
We want a changed world and open minds.
We want to finally remove the glass ceiling.
I want a cause for which I can die.