Page 31 - Horizon Online 16.indd

To My Future Daughter
To my future daughter,
You will be told to change
Your appearance
Your personality
Everything that makes you, you.
You will be told to not stand up for yourself,
Because that is not a woman’s job.
You will be told to look like her,
The skinny model,
who is photoshopped to be smaller than her real self.
You will be told to fight against other women,
So only one is left on top.
You will be told to hold your tongue,
Because those bitter but truthful words you want to say are Unlady like.
You will be told to wait and not fight,
Because that is the job of your Knight in Shining Armour.
To my future daughter,
Do not listen to those words.
Do not listen to those people that tell you those words. You do not need to change.
You are beautiful no matter what they tell you.
They do not see the love in your heart,
Or the gleam in your eye,
Or the way the room brightens when you laugh.
Stand tall my sweet daughter,
It is your job to stand up for yourself,
It is also your job to stand up for those,
who can not do it themselves.
Do not hate or envy the skinny model.
That was the body she was born with,
She may love it,
She may not.
You were born with a body too.
No matter the bumps,
The scars,
The curves,
The flaws,
You are just as beautiful as she is.
You will learn that women will always be
Picked to fight against each other,
Do not let that happen.
These women are your sisters,
It is easier to build them up and fight with them, Rather than knocking them down
And fight against them.
Those bitter words you are wishing to let loose, Let them go.
No one has any right to say your words
Are unworthy to be heard,
Or are unlady like to be said.
Words can move mountains
And, Honey, mountains need to be moved.
You will need to know how to be strong.
The world will be hard and unforgiving,
Your Knight will not be there for every battle, Learn how to fight for yourself
You will learn that you won’t have to be Dependent on anyone else.
To my future daughter,
Please know that I love you already, No matter who you grow to become, I will always love you.
Nikki Johnson `16
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