Young Woman, I See

Young woman, I see your pain
remember a time when I too
struggled for autonomy, purpose

Wish I could reach across
the span of generations, mirror
the beauty that I see, release

the tangle of deception that binds,
facilitate your potential, help
advance your journey, lift you

beyond the clutter and noise
and deliver you to freedom, but
your book has not been written

and the chapters need to unfold
as they will, and I am no deity
who sees with clarity the path

you must choose, the destiny
that calls you – trust that life
is educational, and you bear

the resources to see your way
through; celebrate your hunger
and rejoice in your triumphs

I will watch with nostalgia
and the pride of recognition,
for your giftedness is real

your optimism a worthy tool,
and I know you will succeed –
have faith in your tomorrows

for you were born to shine
and the pages of your memoir
await experience’s depths.

(Young Woman, I See first appeared here in September, 2017. Image my own)

Published by

VJ

Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

29 thoughts on “Young Woman, I See”

  4. Hey Vj
    I loved this poem so much and it was great in each section
    —
    Also – I might email you about using this in an anthology I am putting together on youth and maturing into adulthood – this would be perfect and so just be thinking

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Enjoyed your reading this! I wonder, had anyone offered such wisdom when I was not-quite-adult … would I have listened? comprehended? Hindsight confirms your wisdom here – the path brings struggles that shape and fulfil one’s potential (often disguised as obstacles!)

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Women of various generations have, different kinds of struggles, and, we are, constantly, fighting hard, for all the rights that should be ours to begin with, because, that’s the, path of women, since the world, began…

    Liked by 1 person

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