I Am A Female

I am a female
I am strong,
and I am brave;
yet, I am also gentle,
and can be fragile,
hurt easily by words,
and silence.

One moment I can take on the world,
the next I can be brought down;
down to my knees,
to cry,
to pray,
to pick up the broken pieces
and carry on.

I have the force of a hurricane,
and the strength of the mountain;
enduring the unspeakable;
yet, I am also the gentleness
found on a summer’s breeze,
soft, caressing and loving.

I am the wings of a butterfly,
set free from my cocoon,
free to fly,
free to love,
free to be me.

Yes, I am a woman,
I carry my armour,
invisible though it may be;
it goes with me wherever I trod,
and attaches whenever I say
‘Armour up girl’.

I can withstand the storm,
my shoulders are broad,
built to carry many burdens,
my own and others,
heavy though they may be,
I do not carry them alone.

We take turns,
and pass the torch,
the sisters of the soul,
helping each other
through difficult times,
tears, hurts, loss
and invisible pain.

God is our strength,
our refuge
and the source of our light.
His is the armour,
the protection,
that makes us strong.

Yes, I am many things,
daughter, sister,
niece, aunt, friend,
mother, child of God,
author and poet;
in all these things,
one is constant,
I am a female,
and I am strong.

© Leslie C Dobson

If you liked this poem, you can find additional ones on the poetry page of my website.