Chapter 1 : Finding Her
Without a woman’s
strength,
courage,
and love,
god himself
would not
exist.
While boys play,
girls will clean,
while men relax,
women will cook,
while brothers study,
sisters will serve,
while fathers are praised,
mothers will be judged,
while husbands work,
wives will give up passions,
but while the male mind is simple,
the female mind remains complex,
and while gods gloat,
goddesses will
create
entire
universes.
How is a
woman
who is
responsible for
creating life,
creating a home,
creating love,
not worshipped
like anything but
a goddess?
Why is it so difficult to
take care of ourselves,
at least as much
as we take care of
everyone else?
Our bodies have hearts,
but our minds have souls.
Our bodies make the change,
before our minds break the habit.
Our bodies are no longer in pain,
but our minds remember our cries.
Our bodies dance to the tune,
while our minds question the lyrics.
Our bodies act in haste,
while our minds tread softly,
for delicate wounds can heal,
but scars are never forgotten.
We doubt our abilities,
giving others a chance
to praise us.
We question our instincts,
waiting for others
to save us.
Every move questioned,
every question dismissed,
knowing what’s best for me
without knowing me at all.
Surround yourself with people
that believe in your dreams,
even when you give up.
Spend time with those
that remind you of your passions,
even when the rest of the world
makes you forget.
The hand you nonchalantly
rested on my thigh,
haunts my thoughts
to this day.
When we dismiss red flags,
we ignore ourselves,
when we welcome toxicity,
we stop believing,
when we tolerate disrespect,
we forget what love feels like and
when we accept less than we are worth,
we begin living in someone else's dream.
When you’ve never tasted love before
you make up recipes for it.
Without knowing the ingredients,
you imagine the flavor and how it’s served;
but right when you think you’ve found it,
you take your first bite and
discover you’ve mistaken it
for poison.
The world tricks us into thinking
we have to be busy to be successful;
that ambition can only be related to
a career or wealth.
Let's accept ambition to also mean
a balancing act of all of our worlds
that includes the intangible luxuries
that most do not think they have control of;
a warm home,
a close family,
time for passions,
being mentally present for others,
or time to be with your own thoughts.
Know when to stop and just be,
rather than constantly
thinking about what is next.
You may have already achieved it,
only to continue walking past it.
Letting others define your goals
will only leave you
chasing after a dream
that was never yours.
She felt like a ghost,
walking around
in a world that existed
without her.
She embraced her
deepest weakness,
held its delicate hands,
and as she cared for it,
it became her
greatest strength.
She laughed and danced
under the peach sunsets
she had once called home.
She was carefree and breezy,
not thinking of the sunrise
and what was soon to come.
She mingled, chatting away,
unveiling her deepest secrets,
trusting others, before
trusting herself.
We lower our gaze
when facing the sun;
it can spark our flame
or burn us
to ashes.
