You Are Woman

For a season barely eons old
Immersed myself in quietude
Awaiting the day woman shall step into her own
Trapped in this cloud of silent obscurity
How does the world blithely pretend?
For all the good there is out there
Permit me to lay it bare

How they sweetly make compelling claim
Liberate the woman; set our girls free
Be only what we say you shall be
Little reasoning or mental activity need
What we shall tell you only believe
And then you shall be free
Be free woman, I say be free

From the bondage of misplaced philosophies
It’s a man’s world, antiquated mentalities
They’ve said woman shall be weak and frail
Lack a voice of her own; auction sale
No excuse to feel; too emotional
Speak her mind; unbecoming of a lady
This must be woman; they say, phenomenally

A house built in time shall surely wither
The sun, the rain, the hurricanes
Bring it shriveling down with time in time
Be sure to check the foundation while there
I’d bet you see my point right here
Woman only a support you claim may be
She endures; super woman, foundation sure

She is woman
If only you knew woman
Chances are she can take your breath away
Wage her war, defeat her fears
Gladly so even in a sea of tears
Defy the odds of a bleak today
She is woman, an unfolding mystery

If she ever was made like me
A black woman birthed in this African sanctuary
Opportunities in full moons appear;
fleeting chances you must reclaim
May she be running before the gunshot you hear
Engulfed by such abysmal despair
Belied and then to men compared
You shall rise woman, your light has come

Let me say this as best I can
In simple words may it be clear
You are beautiful; you are strong woman
You matter; your voice must be heard woman
In the face of dire adversity
Beholding as in a mirror compounding complexity
The unraveling of who she is, who we are, diversity
Awestruck by such exquisite simplicity
Be all the woman you can and should indeed be
You are woman

 
Link to the Italian translation

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