Maya Angelou
American memoirist and poet
You want to defy my existence
Oppressive laws in which you wrote,
My contribution matters not
But still, I vote.
Voice hoarse with rage upsets you?
To fight the beast you’ve set on me,
The shame you bury with your sin
You yearn to rewrite history.
That thing you always take for granted
So carefree tossed away as rote,
More often wasted afterthought
Our treasured vote.
You cannot wait to see me broken
Without oar in sea-tossed boat,
Abandoned but I must be grateful
But never vote.
You wonder why I walk so proud
As if I’m wearing soft fur coat,
A walking stick that’s capped with gold
I carry as I vote.
You want to threaten me with guns
You hope I cower while you gloat,
You eye me with such hatefulness
You’d strip me of my right to vote.
Deny me water, shade, a hand
I vote
Do all you can to reprimand
I vote
I’m a wave that crashes at your shore
A force you’ve never felt before
Decide my future for myself
I vote
Play the hand you think you dealt
I vote
I’ll lay a house that’s full and free
I’ll vote ‘cause there’s no stopping me
I vote
I vote
VOTE.