They told me I was weak. I was too fragile. Too uncultured.
They told me to hide myself from lustful vultures.
That I am the eggshell of honor, a frail conceiving flower.
They told me to be afraid.
They kept on telling me to be afraid.
For I wished someone was there to tell me.
Don’t be afraid my love, you are the fire that fans the universe.
You are the light of tomorrow, bright as the sun, sacrificial as the night.
You are the nurture of life, gateway to Paradise.
Darling, you have stardust in your veins, strength in your frame, valor in your grace.
Do not be afraid of being the epitome of achievements.
Or to be fragile yet scarring or be tamed yet fearing.
To rise from the ashes but only to fly away like a phoenix.
To be your own knight in shining armor.
Spread your wings, my little butterfly.
Loneliness doesn’t counterfeit your response.
My love, don’t be afraid to be the pearl in the dust.
To be the one with answers, analogies, and questions.
To be eager, keen and mischievous.
Or to be silent as the dusk.
To be the loudest, funniest and wittiest.
Or To be the observer and minimalist.
Darling, you have stardust in your veins, strength in your frame, valor in your grace
My love, do not let anyone tell you that you are too dark-skinned to be beautiful.
Your browns, mochas, honey, chocolate, and pecans are plentiful.
Do not let anyone tell you that your hair is too untamed to be silky.
Or your body is a zero hair zone and too alone to be milky.
Darling, you have stardust in your veins, strength in your frame, valor in your grace.
Do not feel ashamed to love unconditionally and love again.
And to let loose of the reins.
To be the best, and unapologetically expressed.
To choose career over motherhood, travel over house arrest.
To be intriguing, strong yet full of unscathed emotions.
To be the foam of the sea or the colliding waves of the ocean.
My world, fly like the world doesn’t weigh you down,
Doesn’t make you feel like you have ever been knocked down.
Fly like you have never been in restraints.
Like your interests, laughs and thoughts have never been Pashmina draped.
Never let any man define your worth or fame.
Just be at the top of your game.
Do not be hushed after some pervert compliments you.
Or your lawful man ridicules you.
Do not be afraid to feel obsessed at your mirror reflection.
Do not be suppressed by the ‘no makeup’ interventions.
Or the need for perfection.
Darling, you have stardust in your veins, strength in your frame, valor in your grace.
So don’t out of your armor of gender and embrace.