"No More Smalling up of Me" by Jean Wilson

	No more meekly saying 'yes' When my heart is screaming 'no' No more taming of my feelings So my power won't show No more hiding my exuberance From disapproving eyes No more watering down myself So my spirit won't rise No more 'smalling up' of me Pretending I am not here No more running from the music And the spotlight's glare No more living in this prison Barricaded by my fears No more turning and retreating In the face of new frontiers Even as I am speaking I am taking shape and form Harnessing my powers Like a gathering storm There's no obstacle so bold As to dare stand in my way I am taking back my life And I am doing it today. Jean is a Jamaican writer, workshop leader and performance poet with a special interest in inspirational creative expression. No More 'Smalling Up' of Me is the title poem of her poetry book published by Ian Randle Publishers Ltd., Jamaica.