When people tell me to be strong, I don’t understand
What made them think that I am weak?
I have survived despite patriarchy on this land
Why should validation from men I seek?
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I can withstand labor pains
I have seen my own blood flow
Though men may hold the reins
Of my life, they should know
I have managed home and hearth
Despite education and opportunities denied to me
To children I have given birth
And fed them, even when my body was weary
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When I went along with decisions made for me
I was not weak, I had strengthened my body and mind
To preserve the architecture of the society
That, after all, men had designed…
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With or without societal rights, never have I been weak
I have been strong since humankind on earth appeared
For centuries, I was denied an opportunity to speak
For myself, but now I proclaim my strength without fear..
Passion...unbridled 