BORN A WOMAN

Netta Comments 6 comments

Cinthia I. Albers is a fellow member of the Maui Live Poets Society. She’s a lifelong poet with a quirky sense of humor and her own tales to tell. She has laid claim to a “poet husband and a poet cat” and has collected her poems in a series of books that are available on Amazon.

I asked her to share a poem that has meaning and mana for her and to tell us why. This is hers:

“I have always been at war with the ideas of what the world says woman should be. Magazines show us these images and most of us do not measure up.”

we-are-victims-of-this-folly — “We are victims of this folly” by Michelle Robinson via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

“I was at a doctor’s office and picked up a woman’s magazine and thought about all those magazines I had read and discarded over the years. The idea that what interests women is reflected on their pages seems like a cosmic joke. Women are much more than that.”

les-trois-graces — “Les Trois Graces” (mosaic sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle, part of the New York Avenue Sculpture Project) by David via Flickr [CC BY-2.0]

“This poem grew from that. This was published in Maui Muses Vol 4- Equitude (a collection of poems curated by the Live Poets) and in my own collection.”

MAGAZINE

I was flipping through one of those magazines
You know the ones
With the makeup ads
And perfume ads
And Handbag ads
And High heeled shoe ads
Twenty-five haircuts
Just for you
The ones with the articles

How to lose weight
Lose belly fat
Sculpt your thighs
Sculpt your arms
Tighten those abs
Make that butt tight and firm
Those articles about
How to please your man
How to have more sex
How to have satisfying sex
How to declutter your home
How to organize your life
That kind of magazine
That follows the weight loss article
And the sculpt your body
into a fat burning machine
With the recipe for a 10000 calorie dessert
And the five minute meal
That takes three hours prep
And 100 dollars of ingredients
But you’ll be fine
Using their budget tips

I picked up that magazine,
I flipped through
I admired those thin women
With the leather coats
And the hair that flows in the wind
The one where you can smell her perfume
The one that runs in heels and never falls
Looking at them, the perfect make up
The happy homemaker
The husband pleaser
With the decluttered kitchen
And the picture perfect comfy house
I wonder
Being born a woman
How did I fail so badly?
They showed me how
It’s so simple
They told me so
I just have to read
Follow simple instructions
Bat my phony eyelashes
Buy the right kitchen organizer
Use the correct perfume
Take care of my man sexually
And all will be perfect
I will grow the perfect boobs
Sculpt the perfect ass
I will the don the perfect haircut
And I will be able to run
In expensive spiked heels
With matching bag
And fly away coat

Truth is it never worked
I just can’t quite master that image
Who would have thought being a woman
Was so hard to become
Considering I was born one.

Header Image credit: “Woman in Window” by Beshef via Flickr [CC BY-2.0]

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Please note: If you would like to contribute a poem to this blog, please let me know by leaving a comment below. I’d be happy to hear from you.

I do ask three things of my guest poets:

a poem of your own making that has great meaning and mana for you,
the back-story for the poem — what inspired you or how you made it or whatever you want to tell about it, and
an image that I can use as the featured photo in the header. (The last is optional. I do ask that the image you share is one you own — either an image of yourself or something that relates to the poem. If you choose not to send an image, then I’ll go find something that works.)

If you click on this thing –> “Guest Poet Portal” you can submit a poem right now.

……

Thanks for your visit. I’d appreciate it if you would drop a note or comment below and tell me your thoughts.

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6 thoughts on “BORN A WOMAN”

Frank says:

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This is a very interesting page. I loved the artwork and the way you set up the poem. The poem itself is amazing.

It is good to see something like this on one of these sites. We don’t see much about art, music or poetry here. This is a welcome site.

I am sure that many others will also like this article. Keep up the good work.

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1. Netta says:
  
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  Thanks for the visit, Frank, and for your kind words. I do appreciate them. Please do come again!
  
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Ming Chien says:

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I like your poem which helps you share your thoughts on being a woman. I am a man so hard to relate but when you mentioned lose belly fat, this hits me. I guess, this is life so yeah we have to live with it. Good luck and all the best!

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1. Netta says:
  
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  Hey Ming Chien: Thanks for the visit and your comment. I do appreciate it. Please do come again….
  
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Bethel says:

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A definition of a “Woman” that I found so perfect is “A woman is a man with a womb”. a woman is more! an institution!. Women should not allow anything to define them or change their perspective of who they are. Women should rise above fashion, haircuts, and pleasing men. That’s not all life is about. A woman is meant for more and should not be seen as an object.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful poem, I feel inspired.

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1. Netta says:
  
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  Bethel, thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts. You make me smile!
  
  Please do come again.
  
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