Who will tell me
That I cannot wear dark clothes and be cheerful
That I must be cheerful all of the time
That I cannot care more what I think of myself than what others do
That I cannot feel empowered without the gaze of a man
That I cannot also feel empowered under that same gaze
That I cannot be beautiful and smart combined into one being
That beautiful cannot mean having an innate sense of self
That smart cannot mean radiating curiosity and wonder
That I cannot convey my entire self through one glance
That I could ever describe my thirst for life in one long conversation
That my eyes are not both windows and locked doors
That my hands cannot shake daily with anticipation
That my fingers cannot wear five gold rings at once
That my fingers cannot fly me around the world
That my nails and hair cannot be short and still feminine
That I cannot decide only what I do not want to do
That I have to be my best version at every moment
That I cannot be every single thing in the universe at once
Hannah Black 