I am sensitive to the silencers
The ones who shoot you dirty looks
When your laugh is too big for the room
Or your lipstick too loud for your color
I don’t care for censorship
Asking me to lower my voice and temper my language
Because others need the space
To be comfortable
I have no use for restriction
On my expression
My desire for freedom
Has left me partial to the ones
Who love me, when I am angry—
Cus I am angry often
And not shy about expressing it
I have given only to those
Who will stand by me
While my neck is rolling, my fingers flying
And my tongue bleeding with fury
I am attracted to the very few
Who don’t need me or my music
To be soft, and quiet
And understand that I feel rhythm
In my chest and hips
That my big feet
Will bang craters in the ground when I walk
I need ones who honor dips and valleys
Who follow in the footsteps of wise elephant women
© Ama Akoto (2018)
