A poem about finding our voices as Wahine.

It starts with us

The barriers that restrict us

As Wahine

We cannot be silenced

It is now more than ever that we cannot let their stereotypes chain us to the ground

Their words should not have the power to dim the fire inside of us

It is fueled by the thousands of voices echoed through history which tell us that we are not enough

Who gave them the license to decide that?

They treat us like we are small

As Wahine

Like their hands are big enough to hold me captive

Their reach is long enough to snatch the words from the back of my throat

But I will not shrink to the skin they wish for me to fill

Why should I be smaller than I am just to make them feel bigger?

It is said to be the change that you wish to see in the world

Cliche but it's not wrong

As Wahine

A single post on your social media is not enough to make a change

Saying you are a feminist is not enough to make a change

Why do so many of us sit by and watch when we have the power to break the barriers for our future

If your house was on fire would you sit and wait for other people to put it out,

If someone broke in would you just sit and watch it happen,

As Wahine, it is easy to let them rob us and just sit and watch

But this is our house, our world, our lives, our bodies.

What barriers could they break that are outside of our abilities,

Stop waiting for the change to come,

We are the change.

Written by Alex Matai'a.