Not Your Invention

You traced a future for me In lines I didn’t draw Told me who I should become And what I should ignore You dressed me up in silence Said it suited me just fine Called it love and guidance While erasing every sign Of the girl who had opinions Of the girl who questioned “why” You said she was too fragile To survive outside the line But something in my bloodstream Never learned to kneel You can polish up the surface You can’t dictate what I feel I am not your invention Not your version of my name Not a mirror for your comfort Not a player in your game You can try to shape the story You can try to set the frame But I am not your invention I was fire before the flame You said my worth was measured By how softly I comply By how little space I’m taking By how rarely I defy Every time I raised my voice You called it disrespect Every boundary I built You tried hard to correct But strength was never given It was something I became In every silent moment When I carried all the blame Now the air feels different Now the ground feels mine You can’t cage a consciousness That’s learned to redefine I am not your invention Not your safety net or shield Not the daughter of submission Not the wound that never healed You can keep your expectations You can keep your narrow frame I am not your invention And I will not be tamed I am not the echo Of the rules you wrote for me I am not the shadow Of who you need me to be You built a world of limits But I learned to break design The moment I stopped asking If the future could be mine I am not your invention Not your silence dressed as grace Not the fear you planted Hoping I would stay in place You don’t get to name my power You don’t get to claim my flame I was born with my own voice And I will sign it with my name