As a Child

When I was a child

I was told that my voice mattered

That I should stand up for what I believed

That no one was as special as me

I was a force of nature to be feared.

Then as the years went by

Things changed.

"I was just a teenager."

"I didn't know what I was talking about."

"A child can't have an opinion on life."

They tear us down

Because we have the strength to speak out

To say that we don't want to be shot.

Our safety is not for us

Our fear is said to mean nothing.

But we will continue to fight

To yell

To march

To change

Until our voices are no longer whispers to them

But a revolution.