Household of Gold

Poem 5: I am a woman

I am a woman,
And for this reason I hold up my head in pride,
Yet I often wear this mask and from society's judging gaze,
I try to hide.

I am a woman
Fearless,
Courageous,
Resilient,
Yet sometimes I'm scared,
Anxious and inconsistent.

I am a woman and I'm strong,
I can topple the mountains,
And fly in the breeze,
But I'm told to play it safe and not always chase my dreams.

I am a woman and I love myself as I am,
I love my accomplishments and who I've grown to be as a person,
But I have my insecurities and imperfections,
The world shows me an image that I can never maintain,
Telling you that when you lose yourself to fit into this tight glass frame,
That's when you truly gain acceptance and appreciation,
This message subconsciously drilled into the minds of young women,
Comparing themselves to the adverts of those more beautiful,
The winners,
To love yourself completely is the toughest challenge yet.

I am a woman and I'm not scared of my power,
Islam has held women in status higher,
Like a pearl remains hidden and covered,
Concealed within a shelter,
Women are Islam's true flagbearer.

Our worth is in God's eyes is greater,
As a daughter she is a blessing,
The reason for her parents smiling,
The gate to her father's paradise is her being,
As a wife,
She is her husband's soulmate,
Completing half his faith,
And as a mother,
She becomes the door to heaven for her children,
It lays under her feet and as she treads lightly upon this Earth,
Angels for her intercede,

She is given a right to education,
Teaching future generations,
Achieving all her ambitions,
Never doubt her determination or crush her essence,
Look at Bibi Khadija,
The Quraish's princess,
The wealthy businesswoman,
Who sparked within Islamic history a revolution,
She's an example and a lesson,
The first Muslim woman.

She has the right to own land, vote and inherit,
Islam has given women such merits,
Her place is not to be silent and sit,
Rather to be an individual who within her society can flourish,
Her voice louder than their hatred,
And Zahra is our mistress,
We must follow her example and do as she did,
Islam's human rights activist,

She is not her husband's property but his equal in this life and the next,
Adam did not descend without Eve at his right hand,
It is her choice to cover or not,
God wants to protect roses from withering,
Being crushed by the world and breaking,
Yet advises men not to be looking,
No matter how she is dressed,
Your gaze should not be lingering,
What other faith has such teachings?
And so I say I am a woman and I'm capable of doing anything and everything!

I am a woman and I applaud you,
For being the woman you are,
Living your life the way you do,
Embracing other women and letting the light shine through,
Help each other up and cheer each other up when you're down,
You're all Queens so fix each other's crowns.