I,woman
The weaker sex, they call me, but I disagree. My strength is beyond what muscles could conjure, because it lies not in my vessel but in the spirit that it carries. I may be delicate and fragile that you feel compelled to protect me, but I am strong because I am flexible. I can bend with the wind and it cannot break me.
I will cry when I am lonely or hurt, and you may find that pathetic, but I am not ashamed. My emotions may be clearer to see, but it is only because I am true to myself and that is where my strength comes from.
I am a woman and I am a person. I can think and feel like anyone else. I am no less than a man and no more than a man, because He is not the measure of me. And yet, I know that in a world where He does not exist, so will I cease to be a Woman. For what purpose would the rooster’s existence be, if there were no hens to be roosters about? In a world where there are no hens, he would just be a chicken. I am a woman because you are a man. We define each other like night and day and we hold hands at twilight.
I am a woman and my value is not in my virginity. For what is virginity but a hymen unbroken, superficial like the face? It does not necessarily equate to love. When it is broken by whatever circumstance, it does not mean I am less the woman I was. I deserve to be loved with or without it, because I am a woman and I am more than my hymen. The fact that there is Woman means that the Maker destined her to be penetrated, fated the hymen to be broken. Artfully, cunningly, lovingly she was designed for that purpose, so that Love becomes the wonderful adventure that it is. But remember that is not her only purpose. So when in time from lover’s nest I wake and find that barrier breached, take no pride in your conquest for I am not the spoils of war. Though you have broken what you thought was my gate, you have not broken me.
I am indecisive, they say; that I cannot make up my mind. Perhaps this is so. But remember that I look at the world in a different way. I see the things you may choose to ignore. I can help you see beyond black and white. If you let me. They also insist I am weak, a Maria Clara who faints at the sight of blood. But remember that I bleed with every cycle of the moon. I bleed when my flower opens to bring life to the world. I bleed the first time I make love. In fact, experts would say I have a higher threshold for pain. So you see, I am much stronger than people think.
True, I am not perfect. Sometimes you may find me infuriatingly complicated. At other times I am plain and simple. Sometimes I can be the most alluring creature you have ever beheld and then suddenly you wonder where that creature went. But I will not apologize for my imperfections, only for my faults.
I do not believe in Adam and Eve. I believe in their symbolism of you and me, but not in them. I do not believe that I am your downfall. I do not believe that I am the reason for your failure. I do not believe I was created simply to test your faith. Although I could be a temptress if I see it to my advantage, just like you could be a snake if you choose to be. We are human beings and we are complicated that way. Can you imagine what it must have been like for the First Man when he laid eyes on the First Woman for the very first time?
Most of the time, you may not understand me. It is perhaps my nature not to be understood by you at least. You may find yourself constantly wondering what makes me smile. What makes me cry? Where could you touch me to make me tremble? What must you do to hear me laugh? You may even find yourself simply savoring the act of watching me sleep, and then wonder how I manage to captivate you despite doing nothing at all. For that I have even been called a witch in the history books. In fact, up to this day, people could only give labels to things they cannot understand. You will want to study me, search my eyes for answers you know you may never find. All the great artists did not become so without first exploring my nakedness and transforming me into their own idea of what I should be. Mona Lisa with her cunning smile. Aphrodite emerging from her shell. I am your muse. But no matter how you try, you may never capture the true essence of me because I am deeper than the ocean. To be honest, I myself have not fully explored my own depths.
But not to worry, I think that we will never forever be each other’s mystery. If you prove yourself worthy, you are more than welcome to discover me. Consider it an invitation.
Lastly, if you have any complaints about the woman that I am, please address it to my Manufacturer and I am sure that the genderless being of my Maker will tell you that I was made to be exactly as I am.
-GT