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Poetry & Art

Don’t Ask Me How I Am

Don’t ask me how I am
unless you are prepared
to hear the voices of
Women
Oppressed

Nearly one in four women in the United States (23.7%) will have an abortion by age 45

To see the fury
in the eyes of many
Eyes locked on something
that is inherently
Ours

Don’t ask me how I am
unless you can withstand the marching
of thousands of feet
Stamping our presence into Mother Earth
because only she understands

653 reported Women’s Marches occurred on January 21, 2017

Don’t ask me how I am
and then shout “women matter”
and “we don’t see race”
when my sisters are dying

African-American women experience three times higher maternal death rate than white women

Don’t ask me how I am
until you understand that
a choice is the difference between
Life
and
Death

African-American women account for 30% of all abortions, a percentage four times higher than that of white women

That we, women, plural
are the only ones who can decide
Who can change
Who can speak

99% of all sexually active women use birth control at some point—to prevent pregnancies, plan their lives or to treat medical conditions

Don’t ask me how I am
until you shed sacred blood

A vilified blood oath, a connection
To give life
and to only be controlled by those to whom
it belongs

Don’t ask me how I am
unless you are prepared
to recognize all
Women
To not ignore those in need
for the favor of those nearest

African-American women have higher rates of unintended pregnancy, which results from similar disparities in access to and effective use of contraceptives

Don’t ask me how I am

until there is no longer
A reason to ask

Like this post? View similar content here: Why She Still Doesn’t Speak Up
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