A Strong Woman

Hi there. Hello.

Just yesterday I peeked over in my Poetry folder on my laptop and I realised that I had no poems to show for 2015. Gasp! This year, so far, has been odd. I feel like I’ve been on pause since the December holidays. I haven’t yet figured out how to press Play. And that is reflected by being over 4 months into the year with no great emotion to show for it. (Great emotion = Poetry)

How boring, right? An emotion-less 4 months, stuck on pause.

So just a couple of hours ago, without me having asked for it (I promise I didn’t ask for it) some emotion came to smack me in the face. And so I have a poem. Yay. I think. Or not yay. Nay.

So here’s my first blog post for 2015 (and in over a year). And my first poem for 2015.

Strong Woman

by Ruqaiyah Davids

Yeah, I want a man I can love.
But I also want a man who will love me:
I want a man who will love my strength,
Even while he accepts my weaknesses.
I want a man who loves that I have an opinion,
And yet never feels threatened in his dominion.
I want a man who loves my sarcasm and wit,
Because, honestly, without it, I’d too easily submit—
And I’d really just be a counterfeit.
The thought of it makes me too sick to admit.
I want a man who loves that I use correct grammar.
Yes, I’m that nerd who texts with correct spelling.
And punctuation.
And I capitalise proper nouns.
But let me just announce:
Correct language use is by no means an obligation.
The absence of it, a mild irritation, yes.
But a well-spoken woman should not call for arbitration.
I want a man who sees that I am strong.
You had me doubting whether it belonged—
Does a woman’s strength put a man under threat?
No. You were wrong.
A strong woman still knows how to duet.
_______

P.S. This poem is sort of a sequel to another poem I wrote quite a while back: A Man I Can Love. A continuation of the conversation, you could say. See below.

A Man I Can Love

by Ruqaiyah Davids

I want a man I can love.
A man whose love for me
Was decreed by our Lord above.
I want a man I can trust,
A man who I’ll want to respect and honour,
Not because I ‘must’,
Or because obedience to him
Was upon me thrust,
But because he respects me
And honours me,
And deals with people in a way that is just.
And because, above all that,
He respects and honours the Words of our Master,
And this will make my heart beat a little faster.

I want a man I can learn with,
Someone to hold hands with.
Let the man
To whom I’ll give my hand
Be a man I can laugh with.
I want the little things,
And from this,
Love begins.
And with it,
Rahma and Mawaddah
From our Lord it brings.

I want a man who will lead me,
A man who will accept me.
One who will guide me,
Protect me,
And lovingly correct me.

I want a man who makes mistakes sometimes
And is willing to take some time
To admit when he is wrong.
One who doesn’t always try to be strong
All on his own,
But allows me to come along,
Stand by his side,
And be his partner,
Lifelong.

He should be a man with a beard—
Now wait,
I know you might think that’s a little weird,
But, even though I want a man who will love me,
I want him to love our Prophet
SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam
More than he does me.
I want that love to show on him,
In the way that he dresses,
And the way that he moves.
The way that he loves me,
And the choices he may choose.
It should be the means by which
Our life together improves.

I want a man I can grow with,
Someone I can sow with
The seeds of our trees
In the Gardens of Jannah.

I want to fall in love.
Just once,
Just him.
Forever and ever.

Amin.
__________________________

Are you a strong woman? Do you know a strong woman? Share your thoughts with me below.