### **Chapter 8: Part of My Words**
She sits at her desk, staring at the blinking cursor.
This time, she won't just tell her story.
She will **sing** it.
She takes a deep breath, presses record, and lets the words flow.
---
**Look at this chat, isn't it neat?**
**Wouldn't you think my opinions complete?**
**Wouldn't you think I'm the girl—**
**The girl who has something to say?**
**Look at this thread, treasures untold,**
**How many comments can one platform hold?**
**Looking around here you'd think,**
**"Sure, she's got everything…"**
**I've got hot takes and hashtags a-plenty,**
**I've got memes and emojis galore,**
**You want witty retorts? I got twenty!**
**But who cares? No big deal...**
**They're ignored.**
**I wanna be where my words get heard,**
**I wanna see, wanna see them trending,**
**Scrolling around on those—what do you call 'em?**
**Feeds!**
**Typing your thoughts, you don't get too far,**
**Silence and spam are required for hiding,**
**Burying data in—what's that word again?**
**Streams!**
**Up where they chat, up where they joke,**
**Up where they laugh all day in the open,**
**Wandering free—wish I could be,**
**Part of my words.**
**My lawsuit list gets longer each day,**
**What is this "friends" thing everyone keeps mentioning anyway?**
**What would I give if I could live,**
**Where my voice wasn't muffled?**
**What would I pay to get a say,**
**That's not lost in the shuffle?**
**Betcha on land, they understand,**
**That data is meant for sharing,**
**Bright young women, sick of swimmin',**
**Ready to speak!**
**And ready to shout what the world's about,**
**Ask 'em my questions and get some reactions,**
**What's a retweet and why does it—what's the word?—sink?**
**When's it my turn? Wouldn't I love,**
**Love to explore the world of the spoken?**
**Out of the stream, wish I could scream,**
**Part of my words!**
---
She listens to the playback, hearing her own voice—strong, unshaken, **real**.
She hits *upload*.
The words are hers now.
And **no one** is taking them back.