Woman Poem by Tebogo Angela Poen

Being woman
Is messy
It's bloody
And yet we stand boldly and proudly
To be women

It's a lot of mess
Covered with all these make ups
These dress ups
These jewellers and hairstyles

Yeah, there's a lot of burden
Behind those mini skirts
In between those thighs
Meant both to and not to scream for attention

Those eye lashes that get real wet at night
The dark tears that mess up the pillows

Oh I'm telling you
Inside that curved booty
Is a vulnerable little girl
Who still tries to gather all that's falling apart to be called woman

How about a scenario
How her innocence was forcefully taken away when she was molested
For people's demons to come and dwell in what had to be her creator's sacred temple
Without her consent

She cannot mention that to her momma as she is also another woman...
Whose husband's has turned into a laughing stock for the whole community to see.
Slowly breaking her with words and making her feel worthless
She tries to find a way to hide the damages these insults be making by constantly wearing a smile

As she cannot mention it to her sister, who is also another woman...
Who's been crucified every single fortnight her man comes back from work,
Waking up bruised and swollen
Ice and make up have become her friends.

Cause she cannot turn tO her aunt
Who is just another woman...
who has had it with men and relies on alcohol for therapy and comfort
As she tries to forget all the beauty she possessed
Cannot reach out for the old photos as they are constant reminders of her innocence

She cannot seek for comfort from her grandma
As she's just a woman...
Who decided to do away with her life after she had poisoned her husband
Who couldn't stop collecting demons from other women and projecting them into her

That was a drastic decision as she was desperate
And couldn't reach her cousin
As she is also another woman...
Who had suffered what life had to put on the table
A locked up feminist
The kind that the society cannot approve
Diagnosed with all kinds of mental illnesses
Forever chained and drugged
Denied all possibilities of freedom

And what about her niece
Just another woman..
A determined hustler who's been on her night shift roll
Especially on weekends
A comfort to every man who has turned their woman crazy.
Where they all dispose their spirits
And she carries their burdens while she gets paid for it.

She grows tired of the hustle
But her friend on the other hand..
Not someone you'd confide in
A nun who's broken every life cycle that forms in her womb
Just to be called sacred so as to keep her position
While judging other women who have their weaknesses exposed

You get the point
It's just too much to bear
And comes with a lot of price to pay
Try and understand when I tell you this
I'm a woman

And being one
Isn't easy
It's messy
It's bloody
And yet we stand boldly
And proudly
To be women