Woman Of Grace

By Desiree Marisa Fernandes

Oh you there!Little girl,

Dressed in a pretty frock and adorned with pearls,

Basking in the charms of your whims,

And living life full to the brim.

You grew up in an egalitarian space,

Where the burden of choice,

Was balanced out in equal ease,

So that, you needn’t try so hard to please.

With no gender disparities,

And each to their own,

You survived the rigors of childhood,

Under a matriarch, who did all she could.

For when love manifested,

In the heart of her womb,

In all her mite, she bore you,

Blessed to be chosen, amongst the few.

With opportunities that were galore,

To read literature and play outdoor,

She raised a son and daughter,

To be the strength of each other.

Was she born just to endure,

And sacrifice on her freedom,

To side-line her personal interests and tastes,

In settling for more, would it mean an utter waste ?

What if she lacked the skill to cook ?

Or took a dislike for chores ?

Would she not be woman enough,

In wanting to do her own stuff ?

Would you label her hostile and uncouth,

For having forgiven perpetrators ?

And extending an olive branch more than once,

Provoking naivety in giving them a chance ?

Would you take her for all she’s worth,

Inclusive of the salary she earns ?

And the job that gives her a foothold,

Alongside the housebound demands, that are fourfold?

Father, does your eyes well,

Knowing that someday,

You’ll be giving your girl away ?

Does it make you dreadful of this day ?

We carry, a trail of experiences,

That dictate the quality of our existence,

Spurned by family values and societal credos,

Do you merely walk in these shadows ?

Will her man respect her enough ?

Just as you honoured your wife?

And if you didn’t live up to her expectation,

Would a ‘’sorry’’ suffice as justification ?

Were you really too busy working hard ?

Saving enough to secure her a future,

That you missed out on what she’d wanna say,

Realizing long after she’d gone away.

You can never contain her love,

Which is unblemished as a white dove,

For she’s clothed in grace,

And crowned as ‘woman’ of this human race.

By Desiree Marisa Fernandes