it is your life's work
as hair turns grayer
disguised bleach
and facial tonics
your man
just to please
to remove stretch marks
when the fuck went wrong
you got married
all the wrong places
wrinkled
shriveled
died
menstruating stopped
as the baby cried
three year old
or teenager
late
without keys
and a new car
PMS was a fashion
an accessory
after dinner conversations
while fat rats
groveled in holes
a quick feel
proved more man
'til he got home
and you had another
tucked in to sleep
it off
while dawn broke
he demanded cooked eggs
and yours were fried
from the lack of semen
either too lazy
too drunk
to care
passion
was the soap
every afternoon
slick thighs
and men called Storm
or another natural phenomenon
and you could
finger a clit
know wetness again
not reaching for
incontinence pads
imagining tongues
firm hands
and it would do
rather than real
you could fake it
believe it was
and smile at him
as he ate supper
touch up the gray
window shop
just for the hell of it
In a list
A contest entry
- Word Prompt - "Woman" by Lucy..
2000 points, ended August 5, 18 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 16 of 16
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while dawn broke
he demanded cooked eggs
and yours were fried
from the lack of semen
Fantastic stanza!
I love this…it’s raw and real. A completely unapologetic write on what it means to be a woman.
Thanks so much for your entry.
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Hi Cheryl ...
You are 'wicked'! Sharp and humorous and yes, with an edge of grounded 'real'. Great write from you!
Me... I'm more of a dreamer though, idealistic and fly from this rapidly wanting to be the hands and tongues for my beloved
Your writes always put a smile on my face!
Sol
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Very powerful piece here..so much truth..the journey of woman through the thick and the thin..I enjoyed the read..best of luck in the contest
Ruby
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Life cycles of a woman, living within the passion of soap operas, I can relate. This coming from a woman whose initials are PMS, (not kidding) ah! the angst of woman.
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You know....
it took me a long time to get here, but.. (not the poem) but to where I am now..
I wear my hair proudly gray, and I don't give a damn what anyone says about it ..because I've earned every strand..
but I really don't quite get what it means to be a woman and I don't think I ever have..
this is raw, and real, and so very accurate on many levels..
well done!
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Liza, I have no idea either what it means to be a woman lol but every line I can't erase has a story behind it, whether it is good or bad. Cannot understand ones who want to remove the character from a face that has lived a life. And I guess you and I have lived one lol and I have never acted the age I was meant to lol I just enjoy being. Love, Chez
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don't even get me started on age.. lol I refuse to grow up, life is too short for that in my view.. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has no idea lol
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Lol All my friends are way younger than me and they have no idea that I am even over 30 lol in most instances I enjoy the flattery but on occasions I hear them say 'what would you know, you're too young to understand it either!' lol It does make me smile
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Wow!
Yeah, um wow!
I guess I have a lot to look forward to!!
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Wow... This is so raw and powerful. There is the ring of truth and realism in every word poet!
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man, I really love your take on this! Different and compelling!
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Holy shit, you got all this from "woman"? LMAO...Bloody hell, even considering the title, I didn't think it'd be that explicit--although, if I'm gonna be honest, the past few satirical poems I've written haven't been..G-rated either.
LOVELOVE your title--is that a reference on Alice in Wonderland??
"as hair turns greyer"
OH NO!! Well, I have a few years of bliss-free greyness.
"while dawn broke
he demanded cooked eggs
and yours were fried
from the lack of semen"
HAHAHAHAHA--you mention dawn, food, and semen. What a hilariously well-written stanza.
"and men called Storm"
LMAO makes me think of X-Men's Storm played by Halle Berry.
You are hilarious
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So very real - all the components of being a woman - the beautiful and the things that bleed (or don't). I wish you could read Afrikaans and I could send you some of Antjie Krog's poems about menopause (she's the most aclaimed Afrikaans female poet).
Marvelous stuff by a marvelous woman!
~ Nicolette
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passion
was the soap
every afternoon
slick thighs
and men called Storm
or another natural phenomenon
Sadness in all its melancholy glory. lol You've captured a side of 'woman' that is both beautiful and achingly real.
Yes, I feel like a bit of shoppin' today too.
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Wow, I just had a quick peak and boy was i awe struck!!! That was beautifully written and the words and stages flowed so delicately.
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Outstanding
This was cool to read. You describe an aging woman with so much bite and describe how she feels, the mix up of everyday life with concerns about her body. I thought this was an interesting poem with a lot of creativity about it. Very well-written.
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