2016 -- whew, what a little poem I wrote and left in my draft folder. Why not just share it too? It's just a relevant now.
Listening to my niece's songs of choice in the car
I paid attention to the lyrics and I noticed some themes
I noticed themes I remember from my youth
Ideas of womanhood that are perhaps just starting to fade
That our worth as women and femmes is in our ability to give
To give
And give
And give
Primarily to give to men
To give them everything we are
Everything we have
And in return
We are loved
Maybe
This is what I believed in for so long
That my worth lies in what I can give to others
That my emotional labor is what defines my goodness, my heart, my soul
And that work is never meant to be for myself
I think perhaps this is the thing that is breaking
That is no longer enough
I can't measure my happiness in how others feel towards me
I can't measure my happiness in whether they stay
