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Imagine a Woman by Patricia Lynn Reilly

Imagine a woman in love with herself...

This is the essence of this short, inspirational poem.

• A famous poem published by Patricia Lynn Reilly in 1995.
• A poem that has inspired and supported women from around the world.
• A poem that can inspire men, too, to know what it takes to be a woman, what it takes to be a human being.
• A poem whose theme I believe to be: Women's Self Esteem.

So... can you imagine? I can, I hope you can too! Enjoy...

Imagine A Woman

What Patricia Lynn Reilly has to say...

Imagine a woman who believes it is right and good she is a woman.
A woman who honors her experience and tells her stories.
Who refuses to carry the sins of others within her body and life.

Imagine a woman who trusts and respects herself.
A woman who listens to her needs and desires.
Who meets them with tenderness and grace.

Imagine a woman who acknowledges the past's influence on the present.
A woman who has walked through her past.
Who has healed into the present.

Imagine a woman who authors her own life.
A woman who exerts, initiates, and moves on her own behalf.
Who refuses to surrender except to her truest self and wisest voice.

Imagine a woman who names her own gods.
A woman who imagines the divine in her image and likeness.
Who designs a personal spirituality to inform her daily life.

Imagine a woman in love with her own body.
A woman who believes her body is enough, just as it is.
Who celebrates its rhythms and cycles as an exquisite resource.

Imagine a woman who honors the body of the Goddess in her changing body.
A woman who celebrates the accumulation of her years and her wisdom.
Who refuses to use her life-energy disguising the changes in her body and life.

Imagine a woman who values the women in her life.
A woman who sits in circles of women.
Who is reminded of the truth about herself when she forgets.

Imagine yourself as this woman.

~~~
© Patricia Lynn Reilly, 1995
All rights reserved. Presented with permission of the author.
www.imagineawoman.com

 

NOTES:

1. This poem is printed with permission of the author, Patricia Lynn Reilly. Patricia tells me that "in 2015, the poem celebrates 20 years of inspiring women to return home to their own wisdom and truth". So it's great to be able to share it here.
   
2. I first heard this poem recited at an intimate 'ceremony' that was celebrating a rites of passage: a woman's 50th birthday. And even though the poem is about women, or what it means to be a woman, the love and wisdom in it shone through to me as a man. And that's why I asked Patricia if I could reprint the poem, here!
   
   
3. This poem discusses important issues like body image and self image and self-esteem - issues that are relevant to all of us. Or if you'd like to investigate the themes that this poem covers then Ask Women Net provides real tips for real life