My Pride

My pride for the Girl Child Adorned with beauty Carved in sensitivity Nourished in humility Crowned in glory Yet denied of my pride I weep that I might find my place Struggled from birth to maturity because of who I am Day by day I face the challenges of acceptance Hide my insecurity with smiles To make all happy around me Yet denied of my pride At conception they ask is me or my other kind? And the other is chosen over me They celebrate my other kind as if am not the divines creation They say am just a fraction out of the whole They tear me apart with their traditions and religion Denying me of my pride They cut my part at a tender age To disguise their brutality saying they are saving me from waywardness They shut my mouth from speaking of my freedom Saying they are teaching submission and humility Yet denying of my pride. They treated me as inferior Excluded me from their plan yet decided my fate Singing and cheering me up With chains of mediocrity they bound me Denying of my pride They sold me out without consideration for money that had no value To start a new life at my tender age when I still needed the tenderness and love Without thinking of my dreams and goals They pierced my heart with their lust and greed And they denied me of my pride They captured me from my innocence because I dared to dream They took me to an unknown destination Deprived me of building my life, made me a slave of my own sex Used me as a toy for their satisfaction, destroying my youth and self esteem Denying me of my pride Have been abused but not addicted Molested but not arrested, Violated but not violent Bruised but not wounded, Beaten but not destroyed I fought my way to be here They cant deny me of my pride . Am aware of my potentials I take my destiny in my hands I will be liberated I will be educated I will be celebrated They cant deny me of my pride. Omoteleola Vera-Cruz