Times past, I was bound by the rules,

kept in the home, kept busy with chores,

told who to marry, ordered, commanded

and kept from life by marginalising laws.

——-

I had a taste of life where I could be me,

I travelled, I studied, I worked with zeal,

I felt the sun on my face and grew strong,

nurtured by books and treated as real.

—-

Now, I hurt, the bitter taste in my mouth of

Commands, Stay Home! girls, No school!

our girls harmed, no skilled work for me,

we’re pushed back in that dark age’s rule.

—-

THOSE X CHROMOSOMES DO NOT

MAKE ME A FOOL, OR DIM OR NEEDY,

A CHATTEL, A SLAVE TO BE CHAINED.

I AM A HUMAN – SO SET ME FREE!