Dear Self (it sounds as odd to me as it does to you but I very well can’t call you by our name),
The other day a friend of mine (he is yet to be yours) told me I’m as secretive as the CIA but I prefer to think of myself as reserved, just as you are but those are tales for another day…
What can I tell you? And what can I leave out?
We (you and I) have always been the kind to say more in what’s left unsaid.
I know you want to ask me if we found our voice,
If the storms in our heart finally found some calm
What will you say when I tell you that you are a feminist?
That you fight for women’s rights and their plight fuels your passion?
Maybe you know…
You’ve always carried so much faith in your heart.
You were such a romantic though (the dreamier the better)
How could I have known that desire for equality will be the engine on which our heart is run?
Yes we are finding our voice in our own silent way.
We now work! (I see the pride in your smile),
a lone lady in a world of men.
They do not believe in actual equality.
They tell me no man will be my groom,
That I am still young and my notions don’t stand,
They say I will fail my home with my war on patriarchy,
They say God meant it this way!!!
They say I should know because I, after all, pride myself on being a woman of God (ha-ha yes you are!)
But they are learning,
They are not as loud as they used to be
They do not expect me to make their cups of tea while they sit around,
Or maybe because I threatened to poison the next cup of tea if they requested one,
(The fight hasn’t always been silent).
There is kindness in the hearts of all men,
And there are battles in the minds of all men everywhere,
I want you to remember that.
I am not asking you to be an angel,
I’m asking you to remember that all the world’s hopeless human beings; misogynists, misandrists, horrible, selfish, people, are fighting just as you are. They are all protagonists in their lives.
I do not ask you to be a healer of men,
What I ask of you is to remember this and be more empathetic of the troubles of men. And yes I know it’s all “cliché”, you’ve heard it a thousand times before but two wrongs do not make a right!
There is much to say but there’s things you must see for yourself.
I will tell you this though;
“You do not die from a broken heart and you do not need another soul to make you whole. In books there is to be found a wealth of knowledge but it is wisdom that triumphs in times of peril. Every man must bear his own cross, there is only so far others can take you.
As you make your own truths make certain to examine your heart.”
I cannot say more than I should,
I must let you find your way to me.
I thank you for your resilience, your courage, your faith and not conforming to the standards of men.
With love,
A young lady with some power.
*******
I know this girl!!!! I’m so proud to say that!
You, a “young lady with some power” have written an incredible letter. I remember when she sent it to me, I had to read it thrice. I just had to soak it in, how she uses simplicity and some poetic flow to birth such a powerful message! There are no big declarations. There are no big announcements in this. There are no big revelations. But that simplicity is what draws you in. Read again. I’m serious, scroll back up and read this again! Trust me, it’s worth your time.
Keep hanging onto hope_S.
It’s beautiful 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽