Mujer Peligrosa (Dangerous Woman): A Poem by Annie Warmke

I am a dangerous woman 

because I won't go back to pretending that the police protect, or that judges are fair, or that the military exists to protect. I know my enemies.

I refuse the tactics of violence taught to me as a child. I must openly and without silence face the fear of rape and violence that confronts me daily.

I will not be blind to the plight of my sisters or brothers who are poor or rich or gay, in prison or born in another part of the world. I can no longer ignore my inner warnings about the real dangers in life. I know my enemies.

I promise to encourage others to question everything they have been taught...to find their own answers and not the answers handed them by a corrupt system owned by corporations...run by humans who would not hesitate to send them to their death for personal gain.

I won't go back to the days of being emotionally numb...I refuse to give up my love of feeling my life.

I cherish the peace-loving men and women who came before me...the people whose stories have never been recorded. I celebrate the women who built communities, and challenged what was and what is.To my dying day I will not ignore the violence aimed at women and children. I will do whatever I have to do starting with a vow to scream at the truth at the top of my lungs, and at the same time I will find ways...work endlessly find ways to engage every decent human to stand with me to join in creating peace.

I know my enemies. I am a dangerous woman.