Joyful Ruins

What if instead of

calling myself ornery

when I ask for what I deserve,

I called myself strong?

Society, religion

all taught us women

that our needs

must be thrown away

for others

To ask for what we’re worth

is to be problematic

emotional

and trouble

Unraveling that conditioning

is like searching for a missking key

in a maze

It is hard to find

difficult to unlock

because someone has hidden it well

but I’m finding

the path and won’t give up looking