
Always threatened to meet my maker if I disobey –
If my smile isn’t wide enough, I have to pay.
If my sleeves are too short, I become the prey.
The world must be someone else’s oyster because to me
It’s another circle in a groundhog day.
Always scared to be left scarred or for the dead –
If I ever talk back, they might crush my head.
If I have some pride, they call me featherbed.
But they can’t stop, I need to be taught a lesson
No matter how much I’ve already bled.
Always scrutinized for not being cautious all the way –
If you get annoyed by my attitude, I don’t get a say.
If you think I’m pretty, I must keep your affection at bay.
And I pray, and I pray, and I pray that there comes a time
Where my experience is not underplayed
So I don’t have to put “hard to work with” on my resume.
-JW