Shun your fire! They insisted.

For it burns the weak.

They simply cannot handle it.

They would rather watch you disintegrate within your own tissues than let your fire speak.

Thousands of years of ownership over your body,

your life.

They say: You can’t teach an old dog, new tricks.

I say: Can’t you?!

You believe their lies.

For they are deeply entrenched in culture and identity.

So instead of speaking your truth,

You hide.

You give them ownership over you.

And the rage burns on.

So, what do you do?

You silence it with food/drugs/shopping/sex.

Ramped addiction, just don’t face it!

Just contain it.

Scream it out, if you have to.

But remember: YOU are the crazy bitch!

So, let it consume your body.

Do not own it!

For if you own it,

Your life will change.

And you are afraid of what that might mean for your life.

How could you not be afraid?

Assault, rape, harassment, discrimination.

Murder.

An everyday part of women’s lives.

And yet, somehow, it is a chance that you must eventually take.

For if you don’t…

You. Will. Die.

Your fire will consume you.

What happens instead, if you own IT?

If you listen to the message it has for you?

If you choose to act on your own behalf!

What is YOUR truth?

Can you afford to silence it any longer?

Generations of women seeking equality and equity,

Yet how can have equality or equity when we operate under the same patriarchal paradigm?

Women as inferior, men as superior.

Add to that ability/race/sexuality/status…and we’ve got layers upon layers of interconnected and intergenerational “risk factors” to overcome.

We are tired of fighting to win a war that is inherently designed to keep us inferior.

We have the fire, the ability to transform.

This is our chance —

It is now or never!

Our oceans are collapsing, our biosphere disintegrating, plastic is suffocating us, violence diminishing us.

And still, we remain silent.

Status Quo, as usual.

Ladies!

We can chose to remain complacent,

Or we can chose to embrace and engage our fire,

To tell the truth about ourselves, even if only to ourselves.

To allow our truth to guide us.

…To transform OUR world.

For we are the ones whose bodies bear life.

Our strength is immeasurable.

Our power intense.

We have always had more than we have been taught to believe we had.

Once we claim it,

Our children will too…

Isn’t that what we all want?

A better world.

For me and for you?

YesWeCan

Painting by yours truly!