Oh, She Was a Woman
Janet Kuypers
written 9/25/97 as “She Was a Woman” (as a eulogy),
edited and expanded 5/16/16 for a poetry show 6/4/16
She was a woman who thought too much.
She was a woman who accomplished everything she set out to.
She was a woman who wore a crown of thorns.
She was a woman who was punished for things she had not done.
| She was a woman |
who was strong,
who was beautiful,
who was beaten down,
and she
got
angry. |
She was a woman who would walk into a coworker’s office,
stand on a desk and do the twist,
just to relieve corporate boredom.
| She was a woman |
who worked eighteen-hour days
because |
she was a woman who’s brain was always on.
She was a woman who fought for her rights.
And
she was a woman who should not have been born.
She was a woman who wrote poetry.
| She was a woman |
who believed in nothing but herself
and trust me,
she
deserved
more. |
She was a woman who would jump on hotel beds
every time she travelled and booked a room.
Because it was hers. Because she could.
| She was a woman |
who belched out loud,
she laughed too hard,
she swore too much.
And she grew up too fast. |
She was a woman who worked on eight different projects
at once, and still managed to get them all done on time.
| She was a woman |
who never lost control.
She planned everything,
she demanded perfection, and
she always had the answers. |
She was a woman who raised the pitch of her voice
when she was asking for something.
She was a woman who never played drinking games,
| because she never |
needed an excuse to drink.
Because she could drink most men under the table.
She loved dirty jokes, and
she seldom crossed her legs. |
She was a woman who wanted to feel alive.
| She was a woman |
who could not eat something she could not kill.
She wrote letters to the editor,
and when that wasn’t enough
she became an editor, because
she liked making waves. |
Because she was a woman who knew all to well
that you only had one life to live.
Don’t do something because it’s expected of you,
do it because you are a woman who knows what’s right.
That golden ring is almost in your grasp.
You’ve got the brains,
and believe it or not,
you’ve got the brawn,
so don’t let anything stand in your way.
|
