Rise up when we’re living on our knees
We rise up
Tell your sisters that she’s gotta rise up

In our day and time, society teaches our girls to be princesses
Not that I mind my little girl with pink tutus and sparkly dresses
But we should be teaching our daughters how to use their minds and run their own businesses

My little sister said to me, when I grow up I wanna be
Cinderella, because she had on a beautiful gown
But if I took her to buy a new science kit, I would quickly see her face turn into a frown
But it isn’t her fault, you see I can find tiaras and high heels in 10 different colored varieties
And the amount of young girls who want to be scholars instead of models is dwindling undeniably

And yet I still have hope for the future
That one day when our daughters see teachers, astronauts, and engineers
She will rise up and say I want to be like her
She will want to be educated and her “girl power” will no longer be confiscated
She will be her own master in life
No longer waiting on her Prince Charming to take her to her “happily ever after” life

We live in a time where in order for a girl to be successful she must marry someone affluent
A successful woman is destined to ruin
Because she must stay at home, where she must stay and take care of her dome

No, when I have a daughter I will teach her, her importance and her worth
And that she has every right to hold any field on the face of the earth

A woman is only as strong as she holds herself to be
So when a woman is forced to leave her home, and a man must take over
There should be no shame towards the woman’s name for taking charge of her own game

And yet I still have hope for the future
That one day when our daughters see escorts, strippers, and prostitutes
She will turn a blind eye and say I am not her

She will want to be educated and her body will not dictate her way in life
She will be her own master in life
No longer waiting on her Prince Charming to take her to her “happily ever after” life

So when a little girl tells me that she wants to be on TV
It breaks my heart to know that she has so much potential and so little self worth
That she’d rather sit still and look pretty for the camera
When she could be behind the camera telling a story

So yes I have a dream, like my man MLK have a dream
That one day when some little girl breaks, she gets back up and sews her seams
And she’ll bow down before no one and start her own regime

I have a dream that our daughters of the future will want to be something bigger than they are
And when HIS story will become HER story, or Herstory
Because women will be apart of the cancer ending contributory

I dream of a world where men and women are paid equally
Where female infanticide is not a common frequency
Where every male and female alike have a right to education

I dream of world where all girls are seen as strong, smart, and beautiful
And all girls are ambitious, work hard in life; they are unstoppable
Where every girl is a warrior just tryna make it to the next day
And yet none of them are the same
But at the end of the day there’s no denying I want to be like

Maya Angelou, Susan Wojicki, Oprah Winfrey, and J.K. Rowling

Angela Davis, Lauren Conrad, Malala, and Ariana Huffington

Beyonce, Sophia Vergara, Dima Rouseff,  Angela Merkel, and  Zhang Xin

I have a dream that one day my daughter will say I wanna be like her
Rise up when we’re living on our knees
we rise up
Tell your sisters that she’s gotta rise up

Assiya Abdul-Malik 15, is a sophomore at Meadowcreek High school, who thinks there’s more to life than just the internet.

VOX’s Atlanta Word Works program offers free bi-monthly workshops for spoken word and written poetry with a focus on healing and social justice led by our AWW Alumni. Workshops will kick off this fall and be held on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Please visit the Atlanta Word Works page or contact Josie@VOXAtl.org for details.

Keep a lookout for open mics in October and December and submit any poetry for publication to editor@voxatl.org.