In honor of Women's History Month, I am celebrating all the beautiful women in my life and worldwide who have fought courageously for equality, justice, and opportunity.
Today, I share a poem that represents the wonder and power of women and invite you into a bit of writing and reflection if that calls to you.
I hope you enjoy the poem and prompts!
Wonder Woman
by Ada Limón
Standing at the swell of the muddy Mississippi
after the urgent care doctor had just said, Well,
sometimes shit happens, I fell fast and hard
for New Orleans all over again. Pain pills swirling
in the purse along with a spell for later. It’s taken
a while for me to admit, I am in a raging battle
with my body, a spinal column thirty-five degrees
bent, vertigo that comes and goes like a DC Comics
villain nobody can kill. Invisible pain is both
a blessing and a curse. You always look so happy,
said a stranger once as I shifted to my good side
grinning. But that day, alone on the riverbank,
brass blaring from the Steamboat Natchez,
out of the corner of my eye, I saw a girl, maybe half my age,
dressed, for no apparent reason, as Wonder Woman.
She strutted by in all her strength and glory, invincible,
eternal, and when I stood to clap (because who wouldn’t have),
she bowed and posed like she knew I needed a myth—
a woman, by a river, indestructible.
Writing Prompts and Reflection
Wonder Woman is a character who brings superpowers – strutted, strong, glorious, invincible, and eternal.
This poem invites us to use words of strength in our writing and lives to make a powerful statement about female embodiment. Its wisdom highlights two things side by side that can elevate one another.
The girl in the Wonder Woman costume standing nearby is a suggestion of two women standing near each other that swells into something mythological like a superpower. By being near each other, they have lent each other strength that has magnified them into the possibility of being something they would feel like they would not be if being by themselves.
I am curious to hear from you. Let me know where you source strength and stability. What resources or practices nourish your well-being and resilience in life's difficulties? In what ways does connection with other women elevate and support you?
Some potential jump-off lines to ignite your writing:
sometimes shit happens
a blessing and a curse
strutted by in all her strength
Grab a pen and paper or your favorite journal. Begin with one or more of the prompts. Use them as a starting point, repeat them throughout your writing.
Set your timer. Write for 15 minutes, pen never leaving the page.
sometimes shit happens for sure ~ great poem to return to and consider all that wonder can mean ~ thanks dina