The Burden of Fakeness

Subduing my femininity and vulnerability
Grinding my teeth and tightening my jaw
Stretching my lips in a fine 180° line
I feel the burden of my fakeness

My spirit is down, bent like my head
Hunched inwardly, held down by the hearsays
Slumping through the rest of my body
I feel the burden of my fakeness

Seeping through my outerwear
Constantly blending with the bland colors of society
Trampled on by the magnificent bling hung on my ears
I feel the burden of my fakeness

I fall to my knees
Carrying the expectations of a generation
Following the traditions of a generation
The propaganda of a deeply entrenched patriarchy
Long obsolete and extinct
Incoherent and implausible for today's successors

You deserve respect
You need respect
A voice whispers in my ears

Open your eyes and let the tears fall
Share the love you have for yourself
In the trembling of your chin, and the rose in your cheeks
In your mucus-filled nose and your choking voice

The Burden of Fakeness

Look at the hat you possess
Your intelligence seeps through in red
Your creativity glows in purple
Your fun explodes in yellow
Your empathy simmers in green
Your love glitters in blue

Head up, heart open, pride glowing in my eyes,
Surrounded by the beauty around and inside me,
I cinch the belt of confidence to my waist,
I bring the proud hat to my head,
Entwine my capable hands together
and turn my face away from the hearsays
"What will the society say?"