I am a woman

I laugh, cry, smile, and frown

I never want to let my family down

I am a daughter

Indescribable and pure like water

I am a sister

I come from good intentions

I am a mother

And I love my baby like no other

I close my eyes and imagine life before 1920

When being a woman, a sister, a daughter, and a mother meant so little

A life filled with agitation

We weren’t a nation…only separated by gender and frustration

I am a woman

Like many I dream of success

We are the heart of the family

The heart of the world

Yet we are treated so cruel

Women abuse, domestic violence, rape, bullying, and stereotypes just to name a few

Women putting women down

Men loving the sound

Divided we stand, so divided we fall

Society criticizing our role

But I am a woman in control

We are victims of every day crime

The average woman makes $11,500 less than a man

According to the US census bureau's annual survey in 2012

Domestic violence is on a rise

Society places men in a higher category superior to us

I am a woman and I am speaking for women

We can’t compete because we are not treated equal

Some jobs be can’t obtain

I am a woman

And I feel the pain

So help me understand

Just exactly where we stand

-Leticia Ruiz