I thought you would never know my fears… My darkness and those places in between…
Battered, rejected, ignored, undeserving of your sight
Voiceless, locked under armors of discipline and social politeness
Motionless, restrained movements, tied up with dos and don’ts
Separated from within: soul, mind, and body
Ripped away from the inner self
How can a woman emerge, but with the call of others
The unfailing sound of the ancestors’ chants
The soft rugged touch of the grandmothers’ hands
The erect figure and simple humility of the mothers’ body
The endless love burgeoning in the bosom of young maidens
The amazed joyful eyes of running free-spirited girls
Women
Rise from your slumber
Awake the anger within
Shatter the links of self servitude
Empty yourselves from destructible words
Remember your beauty
Your self dignity
Go forth and sink in the depths of your soul
Feel your body alive again with the beat of the earth
Allow your emotions to come forth
Listen to them and give space
For in the silence
Is born your voice
And it is you who will have to hear it first
In the silence
Is born your love
And you’ll have to fall in love with yourself
In the silence
Is born your life
And you’ll have to offer it to this humanity
This shattered lost humanity
Arise
Reach to the circle of women
Awaiting for you to take your place
To be your true self
Recognizing your uniqueness, your gifts, and the magnificence of your dreams
Arise
Embrace with compassion
Breathe health and beauty
Bring back what has been lost
Bring back love