The paper called me a warrior

A bad girl. a bad example

The paper said I smile big

But I curse too much

And it’s true. I do

Feel like a warrior just for making it through the day, sometimes

I feel like a fighter. Cause I fight

To keep the fighting away and, sometimes

Walking down the street is a scientific experiment

Your body laid out, splayed out, just for them

To tamper with it

But you know, I think it’s those with the scalpels

Who are really the rats

They want to dissect your ass cause your brain won’t hold still for them

Under that slide marked:

‘split and fill with bullshit’

Y’know, my ass don’t fit under that glass

And my brain moves way too fast for that

Cause if this is a movement we’re making

We have got to get moving

In this crazy maze we’ve been handed, we’ve got to quit losing ourselves

We gotta use our big fat mouths to talk

We gotta use our big thick thighs to walk

We got to follow those who choose

A different way to knock

Those who banged with persistence

Like the Audre Lordes, the Barbara Lees

The Leslie Feinbergs, the June Jordans of my existence

Who chose a different way to walk

Took a chance, didn’t prance, tiptoe

Twirl though this world

You see, I refuse to slide past

Even if it means coming in last

I’m gonna stomp and rage and kick

Talk hard, think thick

Y’know, it don’t take a dick to have balls

It don’t take balls to knock down the walls

Of this cheap joint

You know, the point’s hard to find with all these

Ground down passions

But we’ve got a chance if we sharpen our visions

With our voices

It’s a choice to make noise, it’s hard to be heard

They’ll toss you a muzzle wherever you go

But baby, it’s the waves that let you know

The ocean’s alive

So, we’ve gotta go deep

Down past where your daddy found your key

Unlocked your knees

And took control

Past where your brother cruised your borders

Like some kind of nightguard patrol

Past where the babysitter stuck a pencil up inside you

So many ways they get you to hide you

From the world, girl

We gotta go deep

We gotta use our black and blues like a second skin

Let our bruises thicken

Then begin again

We gotta get up when we’re pushed to the ground

They ain't gonna hear us if we’re screaming face down

We gotta rise to double the size of our sound

You know warriors are better

The second time around