Tears

I write this with tears in my eyes,

The screen is blurry

My heart is cracking.

My heart cracks for all my fellow women

Because we live in pain and fear and suppressed anger

Because we are forced to be quiet or shunned

Because we are groped and catcalled in the street

Because other women shame us for not fulfilling all the stereotypes

And

I

Want

To

Scream

Until

My

Lungs

Give

Out

Because there is not a single female in this world who does not have a story

Not all of us have exaggerated accounts of how men have hurt us

Some of us just live the everyday miseries of being born a woman

And that should be enough

That

Is

Enough

I write this with tears in my eyes

And a cracked heart

Because an 11-year-old was denied an abortion in Argentina after her abuse

Because girls go missing and are found raped and lifeless, bloody broken bodies in display

Because a girl was assaulted in Spain by 5 men, and they have been praised and walk free

I write this with tears in my eyes

And a cracked heart

Because the amount of rape and force in porn are scary

Because public female figures are shamed for being too thin, too fat, too pretty, too ugly

Because young girls are taught that their tears mean they are crazy

I write this with tears in my eyes

And a cracked heart

Because we are taught about male figures

Because we are taught that we have always been objects, invisible beings

Because we are taught about the men who stole their fellow women’s projects

Because we are taught we can’t do anything

I write this with tears in my eyes,

And a cracked heart,

Because we believe the lie that women have made no contribution to history

Because we are denied proper health care, all of it designed for men

Because we are in 2019 and have no control over our bodies, but some white men do.

I write this with tears in my eyes

And a cracked heart

For all the apologies I’ve whispered because I was expressing my opinion

For all the times that I’ve had to politely smile to entitled people commenting on my body

For all those moments alone in dark streets when I silently got ready to run

For all those silent reproaches to myself for not being feminine enough

I write this with tears in my eyes,

And a cracked heart

Because I live in pain and terror

Because I am tired of not saying anything

Because I want to scream until my lungs give out

Because I want the women who got raped or killed while I was writing these lines

To be the last.