Hey Beautiful!
Please enjoy the below poem entitled, “I Never Knew“, submitted by guest contributor, Ms. Schenita White.
xoxo, Racquel
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I heard stories about what girls did to boys
under bleachers in gyms
and in bathroom stalls
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
Until I smelled the aroma of carrot cake and pound cake
Emanating from my grandmothers oven
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
Until I saw mother after countless mother
Raise hordes of children without the steady influence of a man
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
Until I developed a deep seeded hatred for the way Eve cursed us all
Until that red river flowed from me
Until my feminine parts rebelled against me
Until i realized the power I had over the male species
Until that power had power over me
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I saw one
take the time to share with me
everything good inside her
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I did the same
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I witnessed Phyllicia Rashad on my tv screen
being the most regal vision of womanhood ever displayed
until I heard the words of India Aire
or Jill Scott
words that lifted and guided me
taught me and propelled me toward wholeness
Until I realized that their experiences were my experiences
until I understood that they were just like me
and I could be just like them
if I wanted to
but why would I want to
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until i realized that I had a choice
in my actions
in my attitude
in my life
I never realized what it meant to be a woman
Until I accepted that I had control
where I once thought it was lost
where there once was a little girl
now stood a woman
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I became one
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until my body produced a life
until it nurtured and carried and formed
a being
until it brought forth beauty and breathe and magic
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until the life of another depended on me
I had seen it done but never truly understood the labor of love
that loving was labor
blood, sweat and tears
hard decisions
conscious thinking
constant humility
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I realized that we weren’t taught to chase dream
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
until I the pipeline of dreams deferred
By little girls and little women and big girls and big women
Dried up like a raisin in the sun
Festering like a sore and then running
Running circles around the dreams they can’t seem to touch
I never knew what it meant to be a woman
This poem rings true for me in so many ways… oh the things we never knew…
I couldn’t agree more.. when Schenita sent this, it struck a serious chord with me. And knew countless others would feel the same.
Schenita, this poem is beautiful and powerful. You are very talented. I loved it.
Beautiful summation of our being
Beautiful Shenita!
I’m so glad you ladies liked my piece. I know so many of us had to learn what it meant to be a woman from the world. And so many of us began a journey to unlearn those wrong this we pick up along the way. I just want to encourage every woman to define herself for herself alone. Because how you feel about yourself is the only thing that matters.