We Are The Little Girls...We Are The Women

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4K1UYCC0dQ&feature=player_embedded

The following video on YouTube of Lisa Marie Iyotte, a member of the White Clay People, getting ready to introduce President Obama before the signing of the Tribal Law and Order Act at the White House, reminds me of a poem I wrote regarding violence against women. The bill aims to reduce violence against American Indians. Iyotte is herself a survivor of rape.

This may be a little too raw for some, so read with caution. It was such a powerful inspiration that came to me one morning, I felt I had to share it. This is for all the little girls who have known pain (Let's face that means all of us), who became women that understand. These words come not only from my past, but the past of those close to me. I hope you find comfort in these words.

We are the little girls…We are the women

We are the little girls forced to sleep in a cardboard box, like an animal, because we wet the bed. We are the little girls who were never called pretty, and believed that we did not deserve love. We are the little girls hit with belts until our backsides were covered with bruises. We are the little girls who wished we had never been born. We are the little girls who were touched by those who did not respect our bodies and we didn’t understand where our boundaries existed. We are the little girls without friends, without love, without hope.

We are the women who reclaimed our voices and found our strength. We are the women who feel rage at the injustice done to our children. We are the women who’s hearts break for the next generation. We are the women who weep and pray for our future. We are the women who know the secrets and the pain that little girls know. We are the women who would fight tooth and nail for you. We are the women who would kill and die for you. We are the women who say, “There is hope, there is healing, and there is love for you”. For those who have lost their way I say, “Take my hand, and I will walk with you. I am your sister”. We are strong, we are resilient, and we are beautiful. We are daughters, sisters, mothers and grandmothers. We are connected through our hearts, our spirits and our souls.

Rebecca Truman