If you need to be empowered...

I have a voice and I speak without permission, I talk for myself, whether or not you listen. I will not be submissive, I will not be silent, I remain strong, I am defiant. I have more than power, I have ability to invest it in others, I spark the power that inequality smothers. I am a firm believer in voice, that's why I speak so loud, I am not limited because there is nothing I am not allowed. I am little in some perspectives, but big in impact, I've gained more than all you claim I lack. I believe in belief, I dwell in things I still have yet to see, believing in all things because all things have possibility. I announce my worth and I know it exists, I am a woman and I have no limits. Within me, I find power and without power, I find sorrow, I speak for yesterday and today and the betterment of tomorrow. I know that what I do leaves trails that will be followed, not to be chewed up and spit out but digested and swallowed. I am not to be brought down, I constantly have a ladder, and often I climb up it when you tell me I don't matter. I know I do, and I know you do too, and as I find power in myself, I instill power in you. If anyone ever tells you "no," remember that doesn't make them right, human nature created difference, which created a privilege to fight. To fight for what we believe in, what we want and what we need, I don't fight for conflict, I fight for you and me. I have a mind, a heart and a brain, I AM someone because I have a name. I will not be shoved aside, I will not lose my voice, I was given my circumstances, but I was also given choice. And today I choose power, today I choose to share it with the world, for the man who lost his job, for the bruises on the arm of the little girl. What good is power if it is not used to power other people as well, that's like having a story but you have no one to tell. I am capable of everything and so I will fight for everyone's right to believe it, because everyone has power and I choose to use mine to help you achieve it. I stand next to you, never better or taller or in front or in back, we are all equal as people and I will forever stand up for that. We all have wings, but sometimes we just don't know how to fly, but with the help of others, we have faith enough to try. So try, so live, so be wild and free, shout your worth, your name, shout it for you and me. Scream for those women who are silenced by fear, for those children who suffer because "I love you" they never hear. Scream for people who have been neglected, for men at war who risk their lives, shout because you can, shout because you are alive! Don't be afraid of your power and don't hesitate to spread it, people find power in your words solely because you said it. Don't be silenced, don't let your light burn out, you have the power to empower, so empower life out loud. The only little thing about empowerment is the time it takes to do it, so use your power for good so that others, too, can use it. You can make a difference, the power within you will be heard, with every action, every choice, with every word. And remember everything you do can help someone else, because it is impossible to not empower others when you empower yourself.

If he has ever hurt you...

He tells her she's nothing, and its that she believes. But she stays with him because she knows what'll happen if she leaves. She'll be alone like he said she would be, "no one will ever love you like me." She thinks that is reason enough to stay but it's her only reason to settle, and it wears her down like acid on metal. She's so beautiful but he never tells her that, instead her calls her ugly and then he calls her fat. He makes her hate herself to assure her that he is the best she can get, and after years of being treated unworthy, her worth she will soon forget. And when he puts his hands on her, he tells her he does it because his feelings are so strong. So she twists it in her mind that it's right if he is wrong. He often loses his temper and he has lost her trust, but he always begs for it back because he says he needs it that much. He doesn't need her trust though, he only needs control, he is filming a movie of her torture and he is playing the main role. He is able to manipulate her because he has trained her as so, she cant hate the only love that he taught her to know. She hates him when be beats her up, she goes to her bed and cries, but then she thinks it love because of the sunglasses for her he goes and buys. He is the problem, he is the solution, he is her enemy and her knight in shining armor. He will do anything to protect her even though he's the one to harm her. She knew she was trapped but the escape was nowhere near, because living without anyone is worse than living with someone in fear. Sure he made her cry, but he was there to wipe the tears away, and with no one else there to tell her she needed bim to tell her it's okay. But it's not okay, its not alright, and she needs to understand, that how much she loves herself is more important than the love of a man. One day she grabbed a suitcase and packed in her room as she cried, she knew she had to leave this time compared to all the past times she had tried. But this time it was different she had a bigger reason to go, and she looked in the mirror and kept repeating "no." She was practicing a word she had never had the courage to speak, and she felt strong all of a sudden after for so long being weak. He was at work while she packed and she was finally done, so many times she had stood in that doorway but was too afraid to run. But this time she knew she was leaving and she choked back her tears, as she stood in the same doorway that she tried walking out for years. She left the sunglasses he bought her on the table because she didn't need them anymore. And she never looked back after she slammed that heavy door. As weeks passed, she became so strong. Just now embracing strength she had all along. She stayed at her mothers and her mother asked what finally made u leave him hunny? I am here for you, you can stay here however long you need, you can borrow any money. She smiled at her mother and knew at that moment what she did was right, and everything was clear like the difference between day and night. She told her mother that she loved her so much for the unconditional love and for never hurting her like he did, and her mother said i could never hurt you, i love you, you are my kid. She told her a mothers love is stronger than any evil force, and it will never go away because it can never go off course. She smiled at her mother and said i love for loving me, and that is why i left because a mom i soon will be. She rubbed her stomach and said mom i'm pregnant, and my baby will never live in the world I did, and he could beat me but he will never touch my kid. She never told him she was pregnant and he will never know, and he can beat himself up now because a punch at her we will never throw. Sometimes it takes something bigger than us to walk away and be strong, something to bring out the strength we learn we had all along.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month so please spread the word. Every voice matters. Including yours.