A Woman's Prayer/ War Cry

A poem of two parts or two separate entities, I haven't decided. But the same topic, nevertheless.



I want to enter
the world of harmony and beauty
of the human heart.

The world
free of men and their petty
squabbles,
their envy, hatred, polluting
the sanctity
of Mother Earth's belly.

The world
where my sisters, mothers, daughters
cleanse in the same pool of tears
for millennia.

The world
where the size of love
is not equal
to the blow of a fist
a husband bestows
on his betrothed.

The world
not ruled by
the unzipped ego.
Where no one thinks of me
as a seductress, bitch or whore.

The world
where my worth
is not measured by
the size of my breasts,
the number of my offspring,
or the purity of my intact
hymen.

The world where there's
no class, no power,
no better, no worse.

The world where I can be
myself
and bask in my own
womanhood.

My strength
My weakness
My gentleness
My courage

My freedom.

******

I don't want to be
a prize to win,
a beauty to protect.

I don't want to live
for my father's pride,
or brother's virtue,
but only for myself.

I am me,
same as anyone else -
a collection of cells,
emotions,
and stardust.