“She Warrior”

She was small,

introspective,

brown

and brave.

She often surprised herself with her audacity

to speak up before she was entitled to.

But that’s what “She Warriors” do.

At times she wondered

if one voice could make a difference,

if standing out in a crowd

only made her look like a fool,

but fools be damned,

she was a “She Warrior”.

Some thought her to be a little whacky –

which made her laugh

and to reflect on those times,

decades ago,

when she believed injustice

only happened to others,

people whom she’d never meet.

Talking with strangers on the street never frightened her;

and so she began her journey,

knowing everyone had a story,

and that her own would never compare to others’.

Curiosity became her salvation,

as her purpose evolved with every new story she heard.

Then she noticed a sign on a wall at a nearby rest stop:

“Democracy Dies Only If We Let It”.

Many in her circles

already believed Democracy was gone –

that it had vanished years ago –

and they were afraid.

If she were honest with herself,

she, too, was distraught,

but that wasn’t reason enough

to give up on her desire to do what she had to do:

To grab courage by the tail

and rail it against the ugly beast

until the beast surrendered…

And so,

that’s what she did.

Because she was a “She Warrior”……