Soul Ownership

I love this poem because it took me a long time to find my voice. It took me even longer to learn how to convey my points of view while taking those of others into consideration. I was once told that I demand respect from others but I was not so willing to grant it. I know I am not alone. Many people struggle to find their voice and there are many different reasons why.
I know that as a woman, we are often taught that standing up for ourselves makes us that b-word. Even worse, we are deemed as overly emotional or unstable. As a black woman, the situation is often worse. When we do speak out, we are many times labeled as angry and bitter. We become silenced by these toxic stereotypes. We become afraid to be our true selves.
Some people are going to like or love you and some people are going to hate or dismiss you. The most important thing is that you like and love yourself. As long as you're not mistreating another person, then their opinion of you can not matter more than your own.
It took me a while, but I own who I am. Though it's not always pretty or what I'd like to see, it is me. It is honestly and authentically me. We only live once. We get just this single spin on planet Earth being the person that we are. Own yourself. Enjoy yourself. Be true to yourself.