By: Linda M Crate

sometimes
i feel
like i fall short
of expectations
a gasp of air
when they were expecting
a dragon,
but i remind myself
i don’t have to exceed anyone’s
expectations but my
own;
i’ll shatter their glass ceilings
with my diamond fists
because i’m sharper than glass,
and i am stronger than
steel and i burn hotter than the hottest
flames of the sun;
my passion and my dreams burn the
white hot fire that will
tear apart their
doubts—
one day they’ll see me as i truly am
blinding and beautiful, strange and kind
wild and free of any of their cages;
and maybe they’ll understand
they were wrong
about me and everything.