She Did Nothing Wrong

They put on their fake smiles as she is born,

But deep down, they condemn her for her birth.

They'd wished for a boy, so now they mourn,

And wonder what to do with this childbirth.

Why, is she any lesser than him?

Throughout her life, they tell her to be "like a girl,"

Sit straight, don't play, and learn to cook.

Don't wear pants, wear that pretty skirt and twirl,

Go to the kitchen, close your textbook.

Why, can't she have dreams of her own?

After an age, they try to get her married,

They say it's a burden off their shoulders

She wonders what she did wrong if all this was necessary,

But she is still treated badly as she grows older.

And then she realizes, it wasn't her fault at all.