Apologetically Me

I succumbed to the inconvenience

That white people and men felt if I

Took up space

Raised my voice

Spoke, but for too long

Because, lets not bore them to inconvenience with

My truth, the truth

Don’t mind my little

Pipsqueaks every now and then

I’m not here to cause any trouble

The brown woman nothingness that I am

Hedging my every conceivably uncomfortable statement

So many “I see where you’re coming from, but….”’s

Endless “Look, all I’m trying to say is…”

I’m tempering nonwhiteness

I’m qualifying femininity

I’m “disclaimer”ing my entire existence

Everytime that I’m

Apologeticallly me

Unbeknownst to me

I caused a mini sense of injustice

For 25 years

As if for me to speak was a greater burden to

Groaning white or male peers than

Hundreds of years of being silenced

We, the “voiceless”, do have a voice

And its no longer of any consequence to me how

Preferably unheard

I am