Like Me
--
I know about the small nick in your tongue
Near your right back molar
I know how that nick was created
Be nice
Be likable
You swallowed this belief thinking it was a vitamin
But it was a drug
A drug that made you sick
That made truth retreat
and your voice so small
It can’t be heard by the human ear
Not even your own
You were such a dutiful girl
Head down
Work hard
Don’t complain
No one told you
You can’t make an impact
You can’t make change
and
be liked
No one likes a truth teller
You’re trying to stop taking the drug
But coming down is hard
Likeability with a nice girl chaser
has been your cocktail for so so very long
You vibrate with the fear of the unknown
Sweating the drug from your pores
Feeling the tingle of being that woman
The unlikable troublemaker
What will it mean?
It will mean
You are free
Tell the truth, straighten your spine
So the little girls behind you don’t have to be drugged like you
They will tell you
“You catch more bees with honey”
Tell them you’re allergic to bees
Stop apologizing
I know
It hurts not to be liked
They designed it that way
So you would be dependent, unsure and always other-focused
What no one tells you is
that when you stop worrying about being liked
you can truly be loved
You can save yourself and all of the others
And are you liked, by the way?
Or is your compliance just appreciated?
You have unlikable women to thank
for all of the freedoms you enjoy
Women who said, “No. Not on my watch.”
Likeability can be a useful tool
When you know how to employ it
But be careful
It’s intent was self-immolation
You ask
“Can’t I be liked and make change?”
No one has yet
Will it be painful to stop taking the poison?
Yes, my love
It will fill you with fear
So much fear
But then
Then
You’ll be free
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