I am not some silent painting
Whose sole purpose is to gain
Your praise and admiration.
I am not some treasure
Waiting to be sold,
To be owned with greed.
I'm not a set of open doors,
Free to walk through at your whim.
I am not inanimate.
I am a woman with free will,
Not an object to be owned.
I am thought, feeling, life,
Not something to be stared at.
I am passionate, vocal,
And I will never sit silent,
Putting on a show for the world.
I do not exist for you.
I am human, independent.
I don't want to be looked at;
I want to be seen.
I don't want to be listened to;
I want to be heard.
Who are you to define my purpose?
Who are you to say it is my place
To sit in humble supplication,
Bowing to your throne of convention?
That is mine to decide.
I am more than what you want.
I am myself, I am I,
And I am alive.