A GIRL OF SUCH MANNER

Always behave child, you say,

Be calm and don’t fuss,

Hold your head down,

Don’t scream, don’t cuss.

You say, look, that girl over there,

How mean, how loud!

You tell them not to be like her,

Not to stand out from a crowd.

You tell them you’re scared,

Of how reckless she can be,

You despise her words,

How her tongue is so free.

You tell them she’s an animal,

A rebel, a street rat,

You say, young girl be gentle!

Like a deer, like a cat.

But let me ask you this,

And pardon my tone,

Isn’t she just the cat,

That sits on a throne?

The cat with fierce eyes,

And long, sharp claws,

The cat with soft skin,

All around her paws.

You say you fear her roar,

You say you fear her stride,

But, the truth is

You only fear her pride.

Agreed, she is a child,

What possibly could she know?

But she sees the world for what it is,

Nothing to hide, only to show.

And when you talk about how bad she is

How very frightening,

You fail to see your role in society

And how its mold is tightening.

A girl of such manner,

Should never be tamed,

Her voice should be heard,

Understood and famed.

She fights for change

And hunts society’s ills,

For she’s aware no pretty house cat

Is capable of such kills.

And while the world may hate her,

She smiles and sighs,

For what business does a lioness have

Being bothered by house flies.