I am boxed in,
trapped and closed up, behind my wall
nothing emerges, yet everything seeps in
can't you see the trouble? can't you acknowledge the pain?

yearning and grasping
trying to hold on to before,
but only after is here
is there anything that can bring it back?
or will it disappear

I am boxed in,
nobody can come in

To love yourself as a women is an act of political defiance.
Our worth is determined by men, and dictated by society.
We are put in boxes of expectation where we are forced to shrink.
We are taught to love our children and our partners.
We are taught to sit like a lady, and to look pretty.
We are taught to calm down, and to hide our emotions.
We are taught that crying shows weakness, and that weakness is feminine.
We are taught to support men.
We are taught that men are presidents, men are scholars, men are doctors, and that men are lawyers.
We are taught that we are mothers, we are daughters, we are sisters, and We are wives.
We are taught that we are victims, and we are taught to endure.
We are taught that our questions are arguments, and that our opinions are aggressive.
We shrink to expectations.
How many things can we be taught until we are taught to love ourselves?

It's my choice
It's whatever I say it is
It's whatever I want to make it
It's with whomever I want it to be with
It's nobody else’s place to define it besides mine.