My Own Kind'a Woman Poem by Thabile Mdakane

If my mom was more girly,
She would have shown me:
How to comb my hair in curls and waves;
So soft to catch the eyes of many.
How to sway my hips like a runway;
So I would attract that type -
The chasers of every skirt in the wind.
But, knowing her, she wouldn't.
My mom is a champion of a strong mind.

If my grandma was more feminine,
She would have raised ladies:
Who wear bold lipsticks, that all wealthy men -
Would think we are bold, independent;
And a classy trophy kind of woman.
Who cleans the houses spotless and shiny,
So they would think we are marriage material.
Knowing her, she was a refined country girl.
She taught me how to blossom in the shade.

Four generations down,
Today I am a millennial 4IR mom.
My daughter will be a 4IR human,
And with her own, unique definition of a woman.
Far from the clutches of the prevailing, suffocating man.