I found her name written in the margins of my life Ophelia… like someone had underlined the word “alive” She was folded small Inside a story someone else had closed Hands full of wilted flowers Eyes already old They said “mad girl,” “lost girl,” “gone” But she heard music in the wrong So she stood up in the middle of the page Tore the ending off with her teeth Spoke once, soft as sunrise: “I decide what happens to me” Ophelia, Ophelia You refused the grave they handed you Ophelia, Ophelia You turned the knife into a key Every crack they called you broken Became the place the light got free Sing it, sister Sing it loud enough to wake the dead Sing it, sister Till the silence bows its head You took the crown they never offered Put it on crooked just because you could You walked out of every room they locked Left the door wide open like you knew you would Ophelia You are the fire after the flood Ophelia You are the “yes” they swore you never would Every girl they tried to bury Hears you breathing in her blood So we sing your name like oxygen Like medicine, like morning Ophelia You were never the tragedy You were the warning And the warning became a song And the song became a door And we’re walking through it Forevermore Thank you for refusing to stay small Thank you for teaching us how to stand tall This is
