Thursday 8 March 2012

A Congratulatory Card to All Women


Today, we are celebrating the International Women's Day. This is no ordinary day. It is an important day for me as I reflect on the wonderful women who have shaped my life in different ways. I might not name you individually here but your names are written in my heart. This poem is a gift to you all.


Link


Dear Women of the World,


My pen’s nib cannot be restrained anymore—
If I were Tororot, this pen would have been dipped
On an inkpot the size of Indian Ocean
To write this message across the hearts of all women
To convey my deepest affections to their cause

My frail hand trembles at your greatness;
Your wombs have carried kings and queens;
Great minds of thinkers have once
Been replenished in Your Essence;
Your hearts, both true and fair,
Have carried the grace of humanity
Even when men, blinded by madness of war,
Have dissented on the true song of your hearts
You have balanced the stead of mankind on
The pedestal that ensured their future

Like all people of greatness,
You have withstood adversity,
Once believed not to vote
Once thought to be inferior
And now, with the Judge of time,
Your appeal is written on the brow of men
That they were wrong after all;
But you have let the dust of the past
Settle in order to allow clear vision
Of the vision;
What declarations or proclamations
Can aptly codify these feats—
To be remembered in the hallmark of history?

You women of the world,
Men have always got it all wrong
They don’t conceive babies
Yet they pass policies and legislations
For babies whose pain they haven’t borne
And in their Greed, they have always,
Unlike you women,
Ate all that the homestead could survive on
They are thinking of conquering everything
The moon, the sun, the wind, the height
Yet, at the very basic level of simple acts
Of kindness, hopefulness and peace
They haven’t discovered a simple invention;

We need women
Women who can change the course of our history
Women who can help us discover our worth
Women who can inspire greatness and kindness
Women who can lead and think of the future
Women who can brave the heat of the sun and
Delight in the awe of the moon
Women who can teach us men to love




8 comments:

madhumakhi said...

Oh Salem! You make me feel that being a woman is not so bad after all. You really flatter all women on the planet.

Women go through so much of pain in their lives, both physical and psychological. The psychological pain of being a woman can only be lessened if they are treated like equal citizens.

Women can do what men can do and not do. All what we need is a chance. We waited for it and now, slowly, the doors of opportunity are opening for us. Only because of men like you who have realised our worth in society. Only because of men like you who love us. Love is such a pure force: it can work miracles. And what miracles we have seen for women's empowerment in the past century!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Beautiful, Salem. So lovely when a man understands and appreciates women. Your future wife will be one lucky girl!

echoesofthehills said...

Thank you for sharing that, Behen. Kenya is doing well. The constitution has provided for affirmative action in terms of representation in parliament. It requires that there should be no more than two thirds of either gender. But even as laws provide for this, I think the society needs social re-engineering so that the attitudes, perceptions, misconceptions and biases which have been entrenched in men and other segments of the population over the years.

It is encouraging to know you and people of your kind who are conscious about these and from different cultures. My culture doesn't treat women well but I think the 'revolution' must start somewhere and it starts with us, the younger generation.

echoesofthehills said...

Thanks a lot, Koko. I think poetry and my interaction at the university and literature has helped me reconcile so many differing attitudes which have for long treated women as trash. Poetry has helped me be human and sensitive to the plight of everything about me. This heightened sense has helped me give a voice to the cause of women. I have been thinking about these issues for long and I have come to realize that the key to our future lies in women leadership because they think of posterity and give a human touch to the most important decisions in our affairs.

Terri / Cloaked Monk said...

This is wonderfully beautiful. Thank you.

Teresa Marie said...

This is a most fabulous tribute to women, thank you so much!! Blessings, Terri

echoesofthehills said...

You are most welcome, Terri. Your gratitude gladdens my heart.

echoesofthehills said...

Thanks too, Teresa. You are a special person. Kind regards.

Post a Comment

Echoes of the Hills is all about you. I would love to hear your echo...

You Might Also Like

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Disqus for Echoes of the Hills