When she owned the moment

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou

In a society sharply polarized

A distinct bias she always recognized

A woman of color, pretty and petite

It would have been a considerable feat

To be taken seriously by leadership senior

To be considered a valuable member

Of the team, with a mind of her own

She was quite used to having her ideas blown

Off as frivolous; a pretty young thing in a dress

Was not their idea of a brain that could impress..

**

Fueled by a ruthless ambition to succeed, initially she tried

To impress with quiet industry, but her efforts were denied

The kind of attention that she had hoped and craved for

She was granted small favors but in the grand scheme ignored

She might be embarrassed to admit today that she did try

To exude feminine charm, in hopes of climbing high

But this was a slippery ladder to ascend, she realized astutely

For it was accompanied by a decline in self-respect acutely

During all her struggles, one thing was maintained

Her capacity to observe and learn she retained

So she paid extra attention to successful men, 

And their winning strategies, not knowing when

She might get a chance to display her prowess

She knew one day, somehow, she would taste success

**

One day while brainstorming, the team reached a deadlock

She had a novel idea, but first faced  a mental block

Not used to expressing her opinions out loud

She hesitated, heart racing, mind full of doubt

Just as the meeting was about to be adjourned

Her confidence in herself suddenly returned

She realized this was the moment she had waited

For all these years, she was perfectly situated

To put forth her thoughts when others had none

She blurted out, “Wait a minute, everyone!”

Then in a voice loud and clear, proceeded to outline

To a stunned audience, the plan in her mind

As she concluded the whispers gave way

To murmurs of assent, she heard her boss say

That her idea was in its simplicity just elegant

He had to admit her reasoning was brilliant

Her eyes sparkled, her confidence shone

This was the moment that she did fully own.

**

She had found her voice and from that day

She found more respect coming her way

Confidence was what she had lacked before

Once she found it, success came knocking at her door!

(Image courtesy: http://www.halogensoftware.com)