Ideal Woman

Perfect? She doesn’t have to be.
The Ideal Man is not, so why should she?
The Ideal Woman should have a personality
A combination of humor, intelligence
Warm heart and strength.
She should have a sense of what she wants in a man, in life
And who she is.
Seeking truth in all situations

An Ideal Woman strives for excellence and elegance.
Her beauty comes from within
Radiating outward to enhance her physical form
The Ideal Woman should be caring
And supportive of the one she loves.
At times she may have to build him up.

An Ideal Woman isn’t afraid to express her feelings of affection
Not always waiting for him to make the first move.
Ready to dream and reach beyond the stars.
Realizing she doesn’t have to lower her standards nor expectations
To the man and life’s situations that try and dictate
That her worth is miniscule at best.

The Grand Experiment

She was born into this room – 12 by 14 – this closet filled with only a broom, a toilet and a sink. She didn’t know what to think as she aged, but the room was all she ever knew – so she accepted it.

No windows to look through – just 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor – oh and then there was that door – which never opened – the opportunity to explore never given… and she never missed it.

Each time she awoke from sleep a meal would be waiting by that door. It smelled good, so by instinct she’d eat – never thinking to ask for more. Was it day or was it night? She had no concept of time. When it wasn’t dark – it was light – when the tungsten filament was set ablaze by electricity and the bulb came on. Even then she had nowhere to go in the small room with a ceiling and a floor. So she made up an imaginary friend out of the broom to explore the small expanse.

Woman in God’s Picture

My face is shadowed by tears and shame
When I see the way you are treated.
I stare at my brothers in disbelief
As they take unauthorized authority.

I am given a bad name because of them
And you suffer at the hands of them.
But how do I combat this negativity
That is birthed from wrong activity?

Why would I address you, my Black Woman
By some derogatory term that invokes disrespect and isolates?

Why would I tear down your essence
The life of your very presence
And treat you like some cheap object
Even if you wanted to be treated that way?

Do I not realize that you are someone’s daughter?
Someone’s sister – someone’s mother?
Do I not realize that you are someone’s cousin?
Someone’s aunt or someone’s niece?