I have been, forced to marry - still a child, seen as property, sold for wealth
I have been, stuck in a kitchen, curlers in my hair and crinoline under my polka dotted skirt, cleaning all day and cooking all night, working hard and yet still judged as incompetent
I have been, replacing men in their jobs when they went off to fight, only to have the shreds of discrimination abolished - to be replaced again as soon as the bombs stopped going off
I have been, with flowers threading my hair and my thoughts, tie-dyed clothes with labels of sincerity, love, and equality
I have been, harassed in the workplace and in the classroom, forced to change my appearance or change my clothes thus inevitably taking energy and time away from my education, my career, and my future to benefit the learning of those opposite me
I have been, marching among hundreds in protest, our footprints imprinting hope and humility into the paved, cracking, fuming streets
I have seen, the true happiness in advocates for equality rising more and more frequently

I can now see the reverse.
As long as we have existed there has been struggle, there has been hate
Under every new leader there are new things we must embrace as a nation.
But the spread of
Hate, Injustice, Discrimination, Sexism, Harassment, Intolerance, Violence
Those should not be principles endorsed
After so many years
Of fighting for the opposite

We stand
Underneath the stars, Underneath a glittering congenial reality
With open arms and open mouths
Wondering where our voices have gone
Were they ever even there?
Were they ever even heard?