Recently I had the pleasure and privilege to be the stage manager for a show called Vivesection by the Re-writes of Passage Ensemble. It was a stunning, moving, and at times comic look at how women, particularly black women, are dissected, stereotyped, and scrutinized in out society every day. The show closed with powerful statements from each of the 5 women performing in the show. Each claiming their power through a "womanifesta". So inspired by them, I began writing a womanifesta of my own.
I feel as if this will be the first of a series of womanifestas that I will be writing. In this last year of my 20's I am coming to the conclusion that a big part of my life's path is to do something to enlighten & empower the next generation of women coming up. Despite a lack of formal education, I recognize that I have wisdom and experiences to offer. I know too well how much of a difference a positive voice can make. So I hope this poem (and essentially the series) will be a stepping stone in that direction.. Beginning at home with my own daughter, whom I often write for and/or about and spreading like wildfire.
I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading (and/or sharing)
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This is a womanifesta
because I am more then the sum of my parts
because some of my parts cause malfunctions to the thinking process
and others don't process respect as a right I was born with
when the temperature reaches 75 or higher
any exposed flesh on city streets
increases the catcalls of desire
As if they never had a mother, sister, aunt, or daughter
because a Full sized real live grown woman wasn't made to contort to fit into catagories.
I crush the.boxes and check society every chance I get
too few and far between is courtesy contagious
and I...
I am fed up, angry/agitated/ aggravated
because I don't eat enough to fuel the rational thought required to respond to ignorance and bigotry
I am not worthless because of your opinion of me
i am not a real housewife nor will i ever be
i am a sophisticated, intelligent, ambitious female,
something like a lady
only more driven & determined to accomplish my dreams
no matter what the costs may be
i walk the line of self-destruction
some say i'm uncivilized
cause i don't love like Lucy
won't leave shit to beaver
I'm ever empowered and eager
to take care of it on my own
I'm not the damsel in distress
i don't need to be saved
so leave me the fuck alone
stop yelling at me from a distance
or telling my back how beautiful it is
man up & talk to my face
that is/if you can find it
if you want to speak to me
i'm not addressing all men just these assholes in society
like evangelical republicans insisting on propriety
NEWSFLASH!!! WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY!!!!
I have bigger concerns then whether our head of state is a citizen
like the state of the city i reside in
but I digress
I don't make my ass clap for
these dollars I work harder then the pole you wish I'd straddle
Buckle up its gonna be a bumpy ride
if you think i'm angry now
honey you ain't seen nothing yet.
The wrath if a woman scorned aint got shit
on a woman torn/shredded to pieces by mixed media signals, stereotypes & cultural expctations.
heir apparent to a living legacy of food paranoia &, excessive exercise,
just to go down a size
because invisible is the new black.
This is a fury of 29 year gestation
learning to conquer glass ceilings and fear
makes for an easy birth to confidence.
Like breathing
I gladly strut my curvature on city streets,
bouncing my booty to my ipods beat,
proving true that the most awesome women have curves & tattoos!
We write our stories in symbol & song verse
, regurgitating our hurt for the broken hearted girls to learn from.
Letting them know how amazing it feels to be your own shero,
that your worth cannot be weighed by the width of your waist or your weight.
and if you just wait
i promise it gets better
so drop the measuring tape,
eat that 3rd slice of pizza,
erase the rules & write in your own.
Above all that the hold your head high
and be bold
be you
hold tight to your truth
become the most interesting person you've ever met
because the herstory you leave behind is important
and its waiting to be read.
-Love & Light
JSansChez
