Don’t speak out of turn

So many times as a child she had heard

That she was speaking out of turn, but it never occurred

To her that this reprimand was more than a slap on the wrist

She felt guilty that she was unable to resist

Chiming in with her opinions that happened to be

Rather too liberal to go down well in a society

Struggling to discard the mentality deeply ingrained

Of exercising control over women, keeping their speech in chains…

*

The hierarchy of power in a household outwardly harmonious

Was subtle, but strong, one step erroneous

Could upend the existing order, this she knew

But did not realize speaking out of turn was an infraction too..

*

As she grew up she found herself increasingly

In situations where assertive she had to be

Her opinions she needed to articulate

With confidence, she needed to be able to state

Her reasoning, and defend it, but this she found

Extremely challenging, she suffered from self-doubt profound

She questioned herself if what she was about to say

Was spoken out of turn, or offensive to someone in some way..

Unfortunately as time went by she started to believe

That this was a character flaw, this is how herself she would perceive

*

Years later, while reading a book she realized with a start

That those childhood admonishments had played a huge part

In making her afraid of expressing herself freely

The subtle control exercised over her had damaged her psyche

At the same time she realized those chains were now broken

She had to detach herself from her childhood to become more outspoken..

*

She found her voice, and it continues to be

Strong, original, imbued in authenticity