Woman in Poetry

Beloved Woman, you have been in the heart and imagination of poets throughout the ages for indeed your essence has the power to touch, captivate, inspire, empower and give joy. You have graced me all my life and made it a joyful celebration for your presence in myriads of moments; and so I share to you this poem by e.e. cummings which expresses eloquently a slice of how and what it means:

"somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if you wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands"

FROM: Selden Rodman,ed. One Hundred American Poems (p. 153)
A Mentor Book 1948

One Hundred American Poems

Woman of Influence

Beloved Woman, you are a woman of influence, because of your heart’s focus and dedication to a vision of life committed to what is good and right, a vision that appeals to the good nature common to man and which still subsists in many. Your attractive power is encompassing as to draw ever growing followers, supporters and admirers so diverse but united by common hunger for naked truth and goodness (like "conservative principles and common sense solutions"). The compelling beauty and force of your inner vision which issues from and is empowered by the wellspring of intelligent faith captivates the minds and hearts of multitudes. You are indeed a woman of influence, moving other women and men to be powerful force for good in the lives of others and in their social sphere, indeed to be center of influence in their own right.

Beloved woman, you who are facing the ordinary, day to day challenge where the welfare of individuals are clearly and directly at stake and the needs and demands are crucial, you are a most powerful influence to make great difference in the lives of those who are within your reach. Know the joy of making a difference in the lives of others – whether to your husband, son, daughter, friend or other people you work for or work with and serve or your social group. Your power to influence is truly a matter of the heart – the compelling intelligence of love and compassion, which alone speaks to the reason of the heart. And in truth “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly . . . “ (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) and penetrate with laser like vision the truth of who or where people are.

Woman of God

Beloved Woman, I have listened to you and heard you speak of the Fire of God’s Love, that is aflame in your heart. I heard how the Word of God is aflame in your whole being and in the words of your mouth; and with the disciples I say, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"(Luke 24:32, NRSV And now am I so inspired that my utmost desire is to become a Living Flame of Love.

Beloved Woman, I close my eyes and see across the whole world multitudes whose hearts are on fire with the same fire of love flowing from the same wellspring of love from whom comes the words and prayer of love that have risen from your heart to your lips and through your writings. And I delight in what my heart sees; I rejoice for you and with you. You are likewise blessed among women.

Beloved woman, you who have remain unsung hero, hidden saint except to those who drink from the cup of your day to day kindness and faithful love in season or out of season, in joy and in sorrow; you whose hearth never burns out despite the challenge of daily living; you whose life is a fireside where warmth issues forth to those you love and cherish within your home and beyond; know that whoever you are, you live and love fired by the same Sacred Heart whose flame of love makes us all one in Him. We are bound by the same basic element – the fire of God’s love.

)