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I met a sister
and we shared the common pain
of having both lost our mothers to
death
But not just death
to Cancer
That silent killer
which burrows insidiously
into our softest tissues
and hide
only to painfully announce itself
often when it is too late to do anything about it
Across a desk
with a hallway backdrop
teeming with people
We bonded over exchanges
of what it meant to be WOMEN
That unique experience of womanhood
assigned to us at gestation
and we had no say in it
but we concluded
that we were happy
we were born as women
and not men
We mulled over the eternity
of death
of NEVER being able to pull our mothers back
even for one shining moment
to compare notes of womanhood
notes of KNOWING
When truth and wisdom arrive
finally, gradually
sometimes carried
in our own daughters'
eyes
actions
bodies
language
presence
We were silent sometimes
as we pondered this
I had seen her often
through her open door
As I hurried down the hallway
on my way to somewhere else
and I had wondered briefly who she was
Yesterday I found out
That she is a woman
just like myself
With Canadian and Jamaican experiences
And a mother only months dead
Though mine had been dead for years
We bonded over PAIN
And the unique experiences of
WOMANHOOD. - ANDREA DOWNER
_____________________________
TODAY, March 8th is recognized by the United Nations as WOMEN'S DAY, But for women, there is NEVER a day when we are NOT ourselves. However, we are grateful for the annual, global day of recognition.
BLACK WOMAN - JUDY MOWATT
That unique experience of womanhood
ReplyDeleteassigned to us at gestation
and we had no say in it
but we concluded
that we were happy
we were born as women
and not men.
was so impressed by those two verses. This poem touched me, as I lost my Mom when I was 6 years old and then lost my Grandma who was my Mom when I was 35. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Sharon. I am happy the poem resonated with you. As women we all have experienced tremendous loss at some time or other and as women, those of us who subscribe to sisterhood understand each others' shared experiences and pain.
ReplyDeleteI believe as women we all exist on the same continuum of emotional connection to nature and other life forms. Especially through our unique gift of giving life and nurturing future generations at our bosoms and from our hearts and conscience of right and wrong using our moral compass. WOMEN ARE more than the SALT of the earth, we are the VERY essence of creation. THOSE women who know and embrace this ARE ABLE to truly fulfill their roles as women and the man other myriad responsibilities and expectations that comes with that territory.