Poem: Freedom from you

Today, I feel that I can be what I want to be and do what I want to do
Today, I am confident about myself
I am not ashamed to hold my head up and walk boldly ahead
Yes, I may have been an insecure, naive and lacking in confidence girl when you first met me
But today, I am a strong, determined and confident woman
With village royalty running through my veins
A rich history of ancestry leaders that ruled with power and just
My roots run deeper than you think
My foundations are built on the sweat of many who have gone before me
My feet stand rooted on this land where I was planted
My thoughts cultivated and nurtured so I could think for myself, speak for myself
None of your words can sting me more than I have already been stung
No longer will you imprison me in my mind
No more will I tolerate your fouled actions and disrespect towards me
For there is nothing more that you can do nor say that could suffocate me in guilt
Guilt of my short comings
Guilt of my failures and my past
I will survive only because I choose to live
To live in freedom...
Freedom from you.