Raised By Society Poem by Shakeela Kingzley

"Don't act this way or think like that"
If it is bad then it's not the norm
But it doesn't feel wrong in my heart
So I struggle each day to conform

Is it customary to feel this trapped?
When it is preached that I can soar
So keep me confined to narrow lines
Denying what's essential to my core

I find myself so lost at times
In sweet dreams and reverie
Because I'm in denial and trying to block out
Unspeakable things that's been said to me

Even my dress code is unacceptable
I can tell by the way they peer
And those who don't have one
Find an issue with my career

So what if I find love?
I can't even be with my baby
For fear of them judgmental minds
Because society raised me