Warrior Woman
May there be no shame in wearing
Lines that echo woebegone days.
Those worried lines are marks
Of a comely warrior,
Who has seen the eye of the storm
And has emerged victorious-
Not by yielding means of warfare
But in subjection to servitude and docility.
Warrior woman,
May you bear no guilt
If your careless abandon
Makes up for years of caution;
If excessive accessories pamper
Your recovering soul-
Or if your pearly laughter outshines
The countless nights you’ve cried.
May there be no discomfort
In your lively gait,
For freedom has long been due
Just as nights of uninterrupted sleep;
May you never be moved
By dry theories and dying criticisms,
But collect them all in the celebratory mug
None would ever award you with.
Author’s Note:
The power of the Warrior Woman belongs to a widow who nursed her late alcoholic husband with devotion and meekness — an act that is, in many societies, expected from wives. She is now called upon to celebrate all that she has been denied.
