The Loud Woman

Once upon a time

in a kingdom not too far from your own

lived a maiden with skin dark as night

and eyes bright like the stars when they shown.

Her words came out strong

and they hung heavy in the air.

Her chest stuck out forward

because she was meant to be there.

Her steps were loud

and she stood tall

and the people in her town felt small

and did not like her at all.

So they whispered lies in her ear

and told her things that they thought she should hear. 

They told her women are to be soft 

and you are rough.

Women are meant to be pleasant

and you are too much of something that's not enough.

Women should hold their tongue 

and smile behind the muzzle we put in place.

Women are not like you 

because women have a pretty face.

And yours is marred by the words

you speak into existence

and the space you take up 

with what we call dislikable persistence.

And she believed them for a while.

She believed her heart was far too wild.

And so she replaced her breaths of truth 

with those of lonely air.

And she wore long skirts 

to appeal to those she was told would care.

She stood hunched over

to make herself small

until one day 

a stranger rode in on the day of the town's ball.

A women with pale skin

and a long flowing mane.

She reminded the maiden 

of the strength she used to retain. 

But her strength lay not in her voice

but in what she loved.

Her delicate heart was not weak

and was something that refused to be shoved.

With her came other women

with different types of character weight.

But all whether loud, quiet, graceful, or clumsy

were women no matter their traits.

And so the maiden straightened out her back

and stood again with height.

She filled the room with her presence of might.

And she spoke a simple fact.

I am a woman with many words

and from my beauty this does not detract.

A woman is strong

A woman is soft 

A woman is thoughtful

A woman is as changeable as the sea.

A woman is whatever she so pleases to be.

 

This poem is about: 
Me
My community
My country
Our world

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