Happy International Women’s Day!
I was inspired to write this poem when one of the bravest young women I know turned 21. She managed to keep on smiling even through what was one of the toughest years of her life, and that bravery – the same bravery I see in so many women each and every day – inspired these words.
‘She is a Woman’ is a celebration of women everywhere. I am so grateful to know so many talented, intelligent, courageous women who are beautiful both inside and out. I hope, on this International Women’s Day, you’re all made to feel as special and as loved as you truly are.
I want to say a special thanks to Sylvie Monaghan for staying up past her bed time to help me make this poem perfect, and to her mum and my friend, Janina, for encouraging such rebellious behaviour!
she’s the howl at the moon, they say: that tickle-chill of dawn air
running its fingers through your dew-damp hair and
the birdsong scarf around your neck, hung without a care.
she’s electricity within the storm, they say: that burst and blur of light
that hangs on the cloud-cover like a shimmering kite and
rustles, wraps, rolls left and right through the rain just before the gasp of night.
she’s the petrichor of puddles, they say: that momentary, musical treat
that tiptoes on your tongue like whispered words, still sweet, and
hangs cautiously like young lovers’ hands long before they meet.
she’s the last light of day, they say: that murmur of magnificent hue
that is every smile, every dance, every life born anew and
every secret we shudder to speak and long to learn before we’re through.
she’s just a girl, they say: the petals and leaves of spring in their painted pink
that pastel-shades our promise of hopes and dreams as we sink and
swirl into our summer and, in the time it takes to blink:
She is a woman.
