Kit Yan's "For Our Daughters" featuring Melissa Li
every syllable, every word, and every breath is for you
see for us it’s late nights in creation with chinese food, macs, and guitars
we’re playing to dead silence in dive bars while the bartenders take shots alone
we’ll make love to microphones so that someone somewhere will catch a verse
overhear us sing freedom songs on the subway while we rehearse for our next show
so that we can tell our daughters to make the same mistakes that we did
and dream
turn her head from the ticker screen and shoot for the movie screen
see, little girl if you want to, some day you can fight fire with axes
or sing songs backed by symphonies to the masses in central park
that will see past the slants of your eyes and see your beauty shine
on an interview with CNN as the new CEO of a tech start-up sensation
you can run a bank with the same compensation as the big boys
start a non-profit in maine that brings joy to children with cancer
you can be a modern dancer, a poet, the only female engineer in your office
see all of this and more
don’t let the world shut its doors on you yet

stop listening to do what you should
stop listening to for your own good
just turn off that voice telling you what to do
cuz listen, your dreams are calling out to you

you can shine on your own, take time on your own
to find that passion in the hollow part of your soul
make mistakes until you know what you want to try next
see your life will rebound

you might find your passions at the poetry slam in the basement
of the lizard lounge, in the waist-high weeds barefoot at the organic farm
maybe tattooed on your girlfriend’s arm
with a buddha sitting cross-legged on a lily pad
see, this is your path
so go be a mechanic or chairwoman of the board
win tournaments on your surfboard
be at the top of your drawing, your acting, your painting, and then your calculus class
see baby girl when they laugh melissa’s gonna smack ‘em with her guitar
so go far but write back
we’ll still be here and the world momona
juicy, round, and ripe
so go on and write, sing, run, and slam until your pencils break and the speakers blow
cuz we’ll come watch your show while you show ‘em what you got
so go on until your voice cracks and don’t regret
not one second

stop listening to do what you should
stop listening to for your own good
just turn off the voice telling you what to do
cuz listen, your dreams are calling out to you

Layout Credits

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