Take a Stand Abby Appleton

There is water in my veins The tide rises and falls within me A vast ocean of emotion Rising to wash away the injustice Of the world

I awaken With a boom and a bang The ground shaking, raging with anger A mountain emerges All down my sides Coils of hair Hail bouncing left and right Crashing to the ground like waves

Mist glides over the sea Sending a chill up my spine A sense of anger and pain I sit trying to forget the feeling Pain never leaves It digs deep until it reaches all of your body Down to your feet

With a rumble and a tumble, I am ready to erupt To shake up the world Step by step Breath by breath Gravity pulls me Off cloud nine down to Earth

No longer clear My eyes filled with tears Ringing in her ears

I watch the news My heart bursting in pain Fear screams out I am in a nightmare I have salted the ocean with my tears

Why, why Why do you make me cry? Allowing my tears to fall from the sky Lightning flashes surround me Fires raging I don’t want anyone else to die

Why is being different a crime? Why do we choose to be blind? Why can’t we all be in harmony? Why can't we accept differences?

Why do you stare? Is it because my hair is too loud? My skin is too brown? My eyes, too enchanting?

The oceans rise within me I will not rest until we are all truly free With the speed of light I break the surface of the waves I have the power to set waves crashing into caves

Trees blowing with rage Filled with pain The pain that absolutely drives you insane

The rising waves extinguishing The flames of injustice

I will let my curls bounce My skin shine My eyes fill with light I will use my power to cause storms of hope and shine rays of light No longer going to twist and turn myself inside out for you Because these curls are meant to be free I am the change I want to see

For this power, this beautiful strong, independent, passionate Black woman power Will send a total wave

I will pave the path for others I will pave a path for my brothers and sisters Any race, any gender I stand with you and for you

So go ahead give me that look The side glare with the whip of your hair Because I am no longer going to sit here letting you control my fear

I shall stand In fury I will pick up the pieces The pieces of this broken world Because in am no longer just a Black girl I am water I am the tide, rising and falling Finding every crack Grabbing every fragment of passion and hope Binding it back together There is water in my veins The tide rises and falls within me A vast ocean of emotion

Rising to wash away the injustice Just like the sea.

Abby Appleton, Grade 8 Oak Hill Montessori, Shoreview Teaching Artist, Desdamona