Growth

We were told to stay down and keep to ourselves

Planted in toxic soil

Watered by poisonous words and bruised by jealous hands.

We were told we could only grow here,

Locked behind our glass homes

Hoping that the world would appear as beautiful

If we could pretend to see it

But never touch it.

But we are not the same, we are not less than or more

We resist, we are opportunists.

We don’t know where to go

So we took our roots and left

Pushing for flowers even on desert land

We are wild and untamed.

We will not be afraid to chase the sun in an awkward path

With our heart in the open for all to see

We will no longer search for growth in the praises of strangers

We will not hide our wounds behind artificial roses

We will build our own garden within ourselves 

We will move on.

And when they try to block the sun and say,

“They look so strange.”

“Their head is in all the wrong places.”

We adapt and bloom, unprovoked and proud.

Even when we are trampled, we will continue to grow upwards.

We only know how to rise when we fall.