I AM

My body is made from the hundreds of other females before me,

who managed to stand in a world so twisted.

I am made of the arms that were sacrificed from harsh labor in the fields,

arms that shielded above their heads from the abuse,

arms that held tight to protect and love.

I am made of their brown skin, 

delicate and warm, drawing in the sun.

I am made of their lips,

that used to hesitate, silenced for speaking out their mind.

Proud but bruised for standing for their sisters.

Now I am those lips, I am those silent words from driven deep into their heart,

small but loud when she speaks.

I am their tears of frustration, sadness and happiness, so built up over the years,

It has become an ocean where I learned to swim.

I am their stories, filling me with endless time, preserved memories. 

I am the life they breathed into me one last time.

You are yourself.

But you are also the result of your ancestors,

who have given you the chance to live a life that they could not 

Do not forget who you are.