They say I shouldn't care,
Emotions aren't for my age.
Am old enough, they claim,
I should take it all,
The ridicule, the scold,
The insults from my grandmother,
From my auntie, my uncle,
Like a grown-up,
Like a stone.

They say I should think rationally,
What the hell do they mean?
When words cut deep,
And wounds don’t heal,
How am I to stay calm,
When they themselves can't?

They get offended,
When someone talks back,
Isn't that emotion?
A flare of anger,
A rise of pride,
Yet I should be rational?

I am told to be tough,
To harden my heart,
But why should I bear the weight,
Of their sharp tongues,
Their heavy hands?

Isn't it human to feel,
To hurt, to cry?
To stand up and say,
"I've had enough"?

They say I shouldn't care,
But I am not a stone.
I am flesh and blood,
Heart and soul,
And I will not pretend,
That their words don’t wound.

For being grown up,
Is not about silence,
Not about swallowing pain,
But finding strength,
To be honest,
To be true.

So, I will feel,
I will care,
I will stand tall,
Not just rational,
But human,
Whole and real.
© marionbonareri
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