There are moments I forget
what it means to be a woman.
I walk forward,
shoulders straight,
eyes ahead,
happy hips swaying
to the music of Mother Earth.
I lose myself
in the paradise of my mind,
like Eve in her garden, before
mankind
forgot how to be kind.
Why do you hate us?
Men wait for the punchline
as we brace for the punch,
guarded by the thorns
we have to show.
I still plant roses and wait
for them to grow.