Who Am I Poem by Angela Davis

Who am I
I don't know
I know what I am,
what labels others apply to me

I am human
or so they say
But tell me something
what is so humane about our species
something found in no others, something humane

I am a lesbian
Yes, a lover of women
but I now choose very selectively
though weary of trust, I am starved for love

I am a crone
Old, and withered by life
I feel so aged, and weary at times
I am sickened by what I see that others do not
Even though I seldom see what is right in front of me

I am a child
I look about myself in wonder
society constantly baffles my mind
I find happiness in the small things of life
I have experienced so little, but seen so much
I still believe in love, so naive in matters of the heart

I am an author
I write many stories
of loving, living, understanding
though I do not yet understand these things

I am a poet
at least that is what i am told
My pen hardly touches the paper
and I think of what's important, in my heart
My feelings flow freely in verse and sometimes not

I am a pacifist
I abhor anger, and violence
it destroys love, lives, and souls
I think there is always a peaceful solution
if one is willing to search their heart and soul
Though it may be harder, let go of your pride and try

I am a survivor
Many battles I have faced
Somehow I always come out of them
but never whole, for it is not that simple
Along the way I have had to make sacrifices
but here I stand, in quiet defiance and always will
Though I am tattered, battered, and occasionally shattered

Who am I
I think above all
I am an individual