the difference

i don’t think power
was meant to be dominance.

i think that’s what happened
when we forgot
what it was for. 

---

power should be breath.

the assurance
that your voice will land
without having to sharpen it.

the knowledge
that you can fail
and still belong. 

---

a glowing dignity
to be known
without climbing. 

---

but somewhere
we mistook oxygen
for a trophy.

we built ladders
into the air
and called the highest rung
leadership.

we said the one
who holds the mic longest
must deserve it.

i want to be powerful,
you say to me,

and i flinch.
it’s not because i want you small

i will always imagine a world where no one has to dominate to breathe. 

there is a kind of strength
that expands the sky.

and a kind
that builds a ceiling.

i am only afraid
of forgetting the difference.

---

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