~ Woman ~

And it came to pass that a Holy Man roamed the earth.
He came to a small town
And the men came to him and said
“Man of God, tell us of Woman’s place in God’s world.”

He sat down,
Raised his eyes to heaven,
Then to the eyes of the men before him.

“A woman is a special creation of God,
The tree of humanity,
Providing peace and love and sustenance
To all who rest under her shadow
And in her boughs.

“Her tap root is her spirituality.
Her root goes deep into the nourishing waters of God’s strength
Sustaining her through the droughts that life puts her through.
And through this special connection to God
She brings God’s peace to all around her.

“The roots that spread across the land around her
Are her family.
They provide the stability and certainty of the future
That keep her straight and strong through all the winds,
And the vagaries of life.

“Her leaves and flowers and fruit are her femininity,
Her face to the world,
Bringing beauty and love to an often harsh world,
Softening the rough edges of those around her.
You men joke about how she works at her feminine image,
Of make-up and painted nails and heels and flowered clothes.
It is these rituals that keep her alive in her womanhood
Remind her of her beauty and femininity
And keep her strong in her place in the world.

“Yet, just as the tree you plant today
Ten years from now will be different,
So shall the woman you marry
grow and change before your eyes.
As she grows, she will focus now on her spirituality…

Now on her children…

Now on her husband…

Now on those outside her family…

Now on her growth…

For as sure as God created her to be His angel on earth,
She shall change and grow to best nurture those she loves,
Those who depend on her,
Those who love her,
And herself.

But just as a woman is ever changing,
So is the man steadfast and constant.
He is the rain and the sun
And the nutrients of life.
He is the constant protector of his wife
His children
His world
Her constant shield against the wind
The supporter of her growth and change.
He is her protection from the enemies of her growth:
Fear, distrust and loneliness,
Even as he stays constant.
For just as wife and family and world
Need the changing nature of a woman,
So do they need the constancy of the man.

(http://www.blackcatpoems.com/r/woman.html)