Chains of oppression Denied my right from birth. I wake to chains I did not choose Knowledge; a river I'm barred from tasting Yet they demand I toil like men! They trade my youth for cattle and grain A life once mine, now bought and sold Not for my dreams, nor for my name But to birth, raise and serve. A daughter, a wife, a mother at best Never a dreamer, never the rest They say my place is in the home To cook, to clean, never to roam Harassment, assault, violence unseen A silent battle where I've always been The chains remain, the silence stays No voice, no choice, no name, no dreams A woman's life, a life that decays By Getrude Light