since i was a child
who was never allowed to be a child
i have been taught
the offense of my thighs
the secrecy of chests
and the shame of an abdomen
my body, that of a child
disciplined to hide
just reaching fifteen
yet labeled as desirable by men
instilled that i must camouflage myself
for it is my duty to assist
in the abstinence of their perverse ways
fifteen, i was but a victim
nonetheless, taught i was a perpetrator
an enabler
for existing in my body
here i stand tall, twenty years of age
the tape peeled from my eyes
carrying the weight of shame upon my shoulders
the repressed hatred of my own skin
feasts on the same refurbished words
when i muster the courage
to exist outside these walls
my minuscule confidence is crushed
belittled down to a whore feeding off attention
when all i ever desired
was my own approval of myself
and none else
