Don't Tell Me To Sit Back Poem by Muhammad Amina Usman

They say a girl's place is behind the wall,
Where dreams are buried before they call.
They say my hands are made to clean,
Not to build the life I've seen.

They hush my words, they tame my flame,
But I was not born to live in shame.
I am more than the silence you demand,
I am the strength you can't command.

You tell me, 'Sit back, stay home,
You're a female — you shouldn't roam.
A wealthy man will make you fine.'
Excuse me — that fate's not mine!

Did God promise you my tomorrow?
That I'll wear gold instead of sorrow?
That I'll smile beneath a heavy crown,
And let my wings be broken down?

You build your cages out of fear,
But I was born to fly, not disappear.
You write my story with your hands,
But my heart won't follow your commands.

I will rise with hope and grace,
I'll learn, I'll fight, I'll take my place.
With books and dreams, I'll light my way,
For dawn still comes after the grey.

I am not weak, nor made to please,
I'm the whisper that shakes the trees.
And when I speak — the world will see,
That a girl child's voice can set us free.