I Refuse to Be Underestimated

They used to think
we didn’t have a brain

Some still believe it—
not that they’d admit it

They water down the bias
make it more palatable—
our brains were not meant for

science
technology
math
engineering
mechanics
the great works of literary merit

Try to keep up, sweetie, they say
It’s complicated, I know

One of life’s greatest frustrations
is being underestimated

One of life’s greatest tragedies
is learning to underestimate ourselves
because of someone else’s
ignorance

Rachel Toalson is the author of The Colors of the Rain, The Woods, The First Magnificent Summer, and Something Maybe Magnificent (Simon & Schuster, 2024). Her poetry has been published in print magazines and literary journals around the world. She lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and six sons.