So, it's March. Generally, in the line of months in celebration of one under-acknowledged faction or another, February must be a tough act to follow (And rightfully so. Take that, Stacey Dash!). However, as a black American woman, I know that Women's History Month is just as important.

As I've grown into the young woman I am, I've learned so much about myself, especially about the ways in which I interact with other people. I've noticed that I give so much of myself to other people that I forget about myself. I want to love the people close to me, to nurture them, and be the push forward that they need. That need to support and be needed is like a Superwoman complex in my life. I even had to make a New Year's Resolution this year to do more things for myself! The more I saw it in myself, the more I saw it in other women as well. Revlon even launched a campaign based on studies that show that women who take a little time every day for themselves are generally happier, even if that time is only to put on a little makeup.

I think most of us feel that impulse to take care of other people, and we make a lot of personal sacrifices in order to satisfy it. I wrote this poem for women like me, who work so hard for other people that we forget that we have our own dreams to accomplish, our own urges to fulfill, and our own emotions to nurse. I hope it will encourage other women to count themselves among the long list of people they each must take care of. Happy Women's History Month, ladies!

Be Queen Today

Queen,

raise your head today.

Look up into the Sun

and say you're beautiful -

chin up today.

Look in the eye of passerby

and grin - today is yours -

Queen, be bold for me,

show me what it is

to nurse your passion in your dimples.

Be Hero today,

chase the wind until

your knees burn with

the doing you've committed.

Be your dream today;

be your future in this moment -

open your mouth today.

Say something to the sky,

it's been drooling to hear.

Make earth beg today,

for the next time you will do this.

Then come home,

lay your head down and

tell me you've seen

a little differently today.

Tell me you've discovered

the difference knowing your queendom can make.

Tell me you're happy;

tell me you cried about your wonder.

Tell me you've felt today.

Let me know it's not a crime to feel alive,

and I'll be a queen tomorrow....