Slice #7 - Happy International Women's Day! Still I Rise...

In honor of International Women's Day and inspired by Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise"

Does my radio station surprise you?
Turn it up and hear,
It's tuned to NPR, it's true.
But, see, US Weekly's nearby, too.

Judge me, stereotype me,
But those who know me
know it's true.
I stretch, I reach, I open my mind to all world views.

Does my book queue exhaust you?
Take a look and see,
I've got Gruen, Horowitz, Lupica,
but more than just those three.

I carry the weight of being
the first to graduate, be wise.
Challenge me, push me, question me,
still, like dreams, I rise.

Does my ethnicity perplex you?
Dark hair, tan skin, those eyes.
My last name gives no hint,
still, like queens, I rise.

I fit no mold or pattern,
my future is my own,
I'm no angel, but neither are you,
remember that before you cast your stones.

From the love of mi familia,
I rise.
Out of the shadow of poverty,
I rise.
On the shoulders of my sisters,
I rise.
From my womb, my children, my dreams, my love will someday
Rise.
Rise.
Rise.