A weight unseen, a hand on your throat,

Squeezing the air from your voice, your dreams.

Words like iron bars, confining your spirit,

Dictating your path, leaving you unseen. 

History whispers, a chorus of silenced cries,

Of freedoms denied, of lives deemed less. 

The color of skin, the curve of a hip, 

A reason to ostracize, to oppress. 

Laws etched in stone, pronouncements from on high,

Denying your right to love, to exist, to be. 

Forced confirmity, a suffocating mold,

Shattering individuality, ruthlessly.

But defiance flickers, a spark in the dark,

A quiet rebellion, a yearning to break free. 

Voices rise in unison, a chorus bold and strong, 

Demanding justice, equity for all to see. 

The weight may be heavy, the path may be long, 

But hope remains, a fire that burns bright. 

For in the struggle for freedom, a power resides, 

To dismantle the cages, and claim back the light.