Powerful

I'm sorry;
But what was that,
you said?
just now - that,
exactly.

You claim I have no power;
that I am only one,
tiny,
a woman;
but you are a fool.

I am a flower not yet bloomed;
and my light grows.
Wait for the supernova
when my petals unfurl.

I am the one who
when the time is right for me
will hold a tiny creation
for nine months,
relying on me,
parasitic but beautiful
until I go through hours of labor
that are
much more painful
than anything you've had to endure.

I am the one who sits there
while I am called a slut;
the one who gets into cat-fights
(appropriately called; we are
very catty, and rude, and horrid
to each other),
who takes the long way,
who stands in front of the bullets.

And, to disconnect from the what,
let me show you the who.

I am powerful;
A child of God
who has defended people
who have done me wrong;
who have abandoned me;
who have betrayed me;
while I stand alone,
never giving up.

I am confused, and frustrated,
Empathetic, caring;
Honest, loyal to the end:
the person who allows people to use me
as a punching bag while
I stand alone and strong.

I have to take medication
for depression and anxiety,
and I watch and I cry as
people suffer;
even the ones who are cruel,
even the ones who are strangers,
even the ones who do not regret.

I am a child of God,
and don't you forget what that means:
I can move mountains
one day
when I need to.

Inside my heart sits a light that
I will share with you
If you are brave enough, and true enough,
to stand up for something right,
and break out of your selfish bonds
and realize you are powerful too.

You claim that I am powerless
and you are so very wrong.

For it is fear
that holds people back;
Your fear holds you in a prison;
you do not want to see change.

But I am greater than that:
I will not be afraid.

I am a flower
and when I bloom
I will be a supernova.

You can't take that away.