I know we grow up on
The backs of
Our mothers and fathers
Our hearts containing
The fire and love
Of thousands before us
Those who struggle
To be even stronger
Are the lights that guides us
When everything
Is thrown into chaos

Taken for granted
Grant your last wish
That every time you think of me
I will be around
Friends, family, work
No one respects what you give
All taken up
Everything left in a sloppy mess
They roll you out like the mat
Expecting you to be pristine
Willing to get walked on
While you smile back
Take me for granted
And I will grant you one wish
You will be all on your own
When I'm gone
When you're the glue
They take you for granted
When you're the light
They forget the darkness
What's the point of a smiling face
Too eager to please
If you were gone they would forget
Take you for granted lack of respect

Cry like a girl
Cook like a girl
Dance like a girl
Smile like a girl

That night when I dropped
Acid on my tongue
I transformed into
The softest rose

Line your eyes
When no one's looking
Paint your lips
When no one's looking

When I was four
I picked up a tampax
Confused about why
There was no where for it to go

In between the five minutes of bliss
Lingering just long enough for a song to play
Would be a pool of depression
Drowning any thought that dared to swim
Beneath my hollow eyes
A body half dead yet half alive
Dragged through the day just to release
My desires back into the abyss

While everybody leaves the city
Still sees the city
But just watches it bleed
I’ll be here all weekeend
All year
In the trenches on my knees

A poet
An activist
A lover
An organizer
A writer
I sharpen my tongue
And clip my nails
My weapons laid bare
For all to see
The prose I speak
Is meant to move mountains
Shift policies
Change laws
Tug hearts
Deafen my enemies
My words are all I have
And I will give them to you
Friend or foe

Who wants to take a chance
We left it all behind us
No room for soft advances
Let's go dancing
Let's go forget everything
If you promise to really let go
Let's take a chance
Don't blink or you might cry
Time is way past our time
Now we're left angry and upset
That's why I want to forget