My Voice

I have a voice

It was given to me by

My mother

And her mother

And every mother’s mother

Before her

I heard it whispered to me

With the first I love you

I felt passed down to me,

Through the generations,

A voice that says

You were meant to be

You were meant to be here

You have a purpose

I have a voice

It was given to me by

Every woman who came

To this great land

Whether by

Land bridge

Boat

Force

She, whose every effort,

Took us down varying paths

Toward the same freedom

She struggled to be

She struggled to be here

She knew she had purpose

I have a voice

It was given to me

By brave suffragettes

Who stood up and said

No

My voice is not a mere

Reflection of my

Husband

Brother

Father

My voice is that of an individual

I am

I am here

I have purpose

I have a voice

It was given to me

It is my

Gift

Birthright

Own

You may not agree with me

You may not like me

But you will hear me

I am here

By design

With a purpose

I have a voice

And I will be heard