Once there was a time

When I couldn’t walk

So I crawled

When I couldn't talk

So I babbled

When I couldn’t read

So I imagined

When I couldn’t know

So I believed in all

I remember when I believed in society

 

Then society made me grow up

 

My encounters with societal standards

Made me “Grow Up”

Being the only African girl in my class for YEARS

Made me “Grow Up”

Peers saying I have Ebola JUST because I was African

Made me “Grow Up”

The limits I was pushed to, in order to excel in school

Made me “Grow Up”

The stress and anxiety that followed

  Made me “Grow Up”

 

Trayvon Martin’s Case

Made me “Grow Up”

The ignorance of my teacher saying, “There is no such thing as an

African American, you’re just black.”

Made me “Grow Up"

The tears I shed as I compose this

Made me realize I grew up

 

Situations like these make me want go back

Back to the times when I couldn’t walk

When I couldn’t talk

When I couldn’t read

I want to go back to the time when I IMAGINED

When I BELIEVED in society

When being ME

Did not mean I have to grow up.

 

I know the ignorant shall not be hated

But be taught and loved

So they will soon know and love