Burn it Down

Don’t test me.

I said what I said,

And I earned my seat at every damn table

You tried to keep from me.

See, I walked in with degrees

And divine receipts.

And still,

You questioned if I belonged.

You mistook my calm for compliance,

My silence for weakness,

My grace for permission.

But I’ve been building while burning—

Quiet fires beneath the floorboards

Of every place that underestimated me.

I’ve swallowed condescension,

Seasoned with “just trying to help.”

Smiled through meetings

Where my brilliance was borrowed,

My tone policed,

And my patience praised

For tolerating fools.

I hate to be challenged by the small-minded,

Belittled by the unqualified,

Overlooked by the uninspired.

Because in every role I’ve taken,

I’ve been too much

For rooms too little.

So tonight,

I’m lighting a match

To every boardroom that broke me,

Every policy that silenced me,

Every whisper that called me “too direct.”

Let the flames rise high.

Let them see the smoke and remember:

I am not your diversity hire.

I am the fire.