I yearned for adulthood at nine years old,
I couldnât wait to be a woman,
Until I realized the worldâs danger as a teen,
I wasnât even safe at the age that I started to dream,
When thereâs men whose hearts are filled with lust and greed,
I couldnât wait to be a woman,
Until I ran from the fear of being followed practicing my sport,
Covering up my shoulders to prevent their control,
Wrapping the towel around my swimsuit to prevent anyone from looking at me,
I couldnât wait to be a woman,
Until politicians took away my rights,
Liberty and justice for all, only when it comes to the patriarchy,
I read stories about women who were denied this 100 years past me,
100 years and I still live in a world of misogyny,
Nothing has changed, except the one who is blamed,
Are you man enough, to keep your hands and remarks away,
But even if they can, theyâll just generate something on screen,
Of someone theyâve never seen,
Of someone who theyâll never meet,
Girls are just wanting to be women too,
And thatâs when they realize the world's danger too soon,
We must keep our children safe, but our wants never become everyoneâs needs,
We must protect the women who are hurt from shame, but their reproductive rights are never seen,
Because women still arenât safe,
When men get mad for her casting a ballot,
When politicians blame her for saving her life,
When teens create images of their teachers instead,
Being a woman isnât fun, itâs scary,
Itâs like everyday, youâre told to get married,
Having kids will never be the American dream,
But the goals I had as a teen,
I wanted to be grown up too soon,
Just to exist without the danger of being free.