Take a deep breath, one foot out from under the plush comforter

Then the other

Bed head and newly formed pimples aside

I can greet the day

 

I am lucky I say to myself

As I rub the tired from my eyes

And will away another yawn

 

I am lucky

Though I sometimes feel alone

I am lucky

Though anxiety looms in dark corners

I am lucky

Though stress and responsibilities pile high

 

I am lucky

Because I have the opportunity for education

These four years are a gift

I have the opportunity to excel and to succeed despite my gender

 

Brush my teeth and my hair

Put on the wrinkled pair of jeans, one size bigger, with the hole in the knee

Look in the mirror

One, two, three, exhale

 

Walk out the door with a new responsibility

A responsibility to represent those who are unrepresented

Those women barred from the freedoms experienced in education

I have a responsibility to do something about it

 

So I leave to start the day     

And I have a seat in the same plastic desk chair

And I prepare for everything I am going to learn

That can make a difference tomorrow