She is…

As I sit and try to gather my thoughts
My hands on my keyboard, my mind everywhere
I close my eyes and try to imagine
The right words to paint this picture clear…

She is an inspiration to me,
From leader to friend,
An energy that opens my eyes so I can see.

She has been high and low,
Done many things
Taken every boundary, every blow.

She has suffered in life from time to time
Yet she always gave love and smiles
Never a bad word, nothing grime.

She was seen as a possession of men,
A toy to be played with when entertainment was sough.
She was seen as a slave to cook and clean,
Not as someone choosing to care for and nurture the world.
She was marginalised as many didn’t know her thoughts,
Didn’t think she had anything significant to share.

But why did we blame them,
When we ourselves subscribed to the stereotypes?
Why did we blame them when we took our sweet time getting here?
Should we blame anyone now?
No – let us leave the finger pointing to the ones who know not better
And lift our voices, our hands, ourselves out of the past!
For these are the ways of a time looooong past
And the revolution has already begun and is gaining strength
Those who are afraid of change will resist
But they do not know that we will persist…

Let me tell you who ‘she’ is:

She is a sunshine that has taught me to light my own path
A pulse that taught me to live, cherish every beat
She is a strength that taught me to persevere, never give up
An entity, a pillar of the world…a soul that cannot be defined

For she is woman,
She lives and breathes all over the world
She is mother, daughter, wife and friend
She is many yet she is one…
For she knows the importance of…
One woman, One voice…a sisterhood of togetherness.

(When I read 'poetry' and the guidelines these words just popped into my head and I thought I'd share them with you. I'd probably come back and do some tweaking here and there until I'm satisfied. However, I hope I painted my picture properly. I'll get to making a proper journal entry later on.)