I used to watch them pass by years ago

Long for their stride, their beauty, their pride

The scent that lingered as they walked by

Echoing within my soul, caressing my sides

I used to watch them shout

Across courtyards and barricades

Their voices loud, erupting like a hurricane

I watched as they ached for justice, leaning on a window pane

I used to wonder when my hair would grow long, touch my toes, and linger on

I wanted their courage, their strength, their guts

To bleed a bright red, though not from a cut

I could only imagine how great it would feel

To bear a weight on my chest

Made of clay not of steel

I’d feel like a woman, like the brave ones i'd seen

I'd be curvy and strong, yet still kind and lean

Though I've learned now that what makes a woman isn't the scent she sprays,

The lipstick she wears,

Or her soft gentle gaze

I had become a women when my mind was my own

I thought for myself, spoke with tone

My heart was content with the body I knew

I loved every scar, every freckle when nude

I laughed till I cried and I loved till I broke

I became a women the day I knew

My young self would glance up and say

“Look at you”.