poem: You Are More

for the Guatemalan girls and young women in my life. For Luz, Diana. Mariela, Paty, Martha, Katy, and Jennifer. and countless more.

You have been taught

that your worth can be weighed

by amassing your receipt

of appreciative glances,

your share of covetous stares

and the accumulated collective

of sacrificial service, the rendering

of power to betters and wisers.

 

But, you are far More.

You are the strangled half voice of your people

the wellspring of a new morality

that considers the feeding of souls

part of healing and recovery; the inspiration

of minds a paradigm for tomorrow.

You are the untried leadership

burdened with the heaviest task

of undoing prejudice and half-truths.

Your feet will move the future

and your hands will do the work

and you are always, More.

 

You will tend wounds and hearts and minds;

Design spaces for joyous things to grow

and human dreams to bridge earth and sky;

Demanding your place among the great,

your visions will construct the lives

for daughters and sons,

your wisdom shall guide timid steps

of mothers and fathers to new frontiers

for you are vastly, More.

 

More than a father’s daughter,

more than husband’s spouse

your soul is here to know love,

your body yours to decide how and when

and with whom and under what circumstances

that happens. You owe nothing to no-one.

 

Your thoughts are more than parents

your morality greater than church

your nutrition more than food

your steps greater than toil,

your concerns are not whining

your fears are neither stupid nor vain

your heart is more than Mother

your value more than a face

your fingers more than service.

 

You are More.

You Belong to You.

Your life, and its freedom, are yours to own.

Your body the vessel that you tend,

Your mind the field you cultivate with crops

of your choosing.

Your dreams are animals you guard in flocks

in the mountaintops of your own desires

your weight is not a moral failing.

You are more than caricature

more than a role you play.

You are, simply, More.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Spanish translation here:

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/zorra_encantada/1375386/

photo is a portrait of my friend Katy, working in her family's greenhouse. It is from a series we took when we interviewed her for an international exhibit combining interviews, photos, and works of art describing Guatemala's experience with cliamte change, and giving them a voice in global climate change leadership and direction.

Reviews

[Horizon K.]

...You have been taught
that your worth can be weighed
by amassing your receipt
of appreciative glances,
your share of covetous stares...

Marie-- your words are always uplifting and wise, and here-- a beacon of light for all of those women out there who forget, or were never taught, or were taught otherwise, by these still, male-dominated societies -- what the universal value of a woman is-- so much more-- anything, everything. I wonder... that culture in Guatemala, how women (perceive) that they are allowed to behave. Even here, in the US-- a friend of mine often points out to me the huge discrepancies in how we are expected to act in professional situations-- a woman who "acts like a man"-- making demands for what she deserves or any act of power-grabbing -- is considered a b***h and often gets burned... We-- are expected to be nurturing and softer, I am told... And what our daughters are taught today by Disney princess culture-- that being a pretty, superficial consumer-- is a primary measure of her value, compared with being a creator, a thinker, an explorer... I don't know if that makes me never want to have a daughter, or to have one so I could make sure to teach her to defy, all of that...

Anyway, your words are powerful, your form, resonant and beautiful... The world needs your words, including me... Looking forward, to your next piece...

...You are, simply, More...

[Marie Anzalone]

Guatemala is ocnsidered one of the worst places in the world to be a woman, Horizon. I work in areas where girls are selected for marriage at an average of age 14. The illiteracy rates and malnutrition rates are through the roof. In many places, women cannot own property. They are taught that they ARE property. The only thing they aspire to is to be models or singers... coveted by men. I would break that for every single girl I love... I would teach her how much more she can be. ANdyes, that goes for US girls, too. Be thankful that at least we are getting better about showing role models for ours. Slowly, this tide will turn, because it has to. Thank YOU for being a role model to the ones in you rown life, including me.

[VALORMORE DE PLUME]

I applaud the scope of thoughtful consideration embodied within this piece. The perspective is all inclusive.

[Bushra Naqshbandi]

I have no words to express the beauty of this poem or the way it made me feel. This is simply perfection perfected. I absolutely love the flow and your choice of words. Hats off to you! :)

[Peacegal]

This is beautiful and strong. I like:)

[Donna Marie Gray]

I know there are places in the world where women are treated as 2nd class citizens. I have never been to any of them, but I sometimes see it in elderly woman here. (I guess I've been a rebel all my life).

Again, you have painted a picture with your words. Wonderful poem.

[Marie Anzalone]

Thank you, Donna, and yes, those places exist, even in the USA, they exist. I appreciate your words and thoughts on this.

[LJW]

Strangled half voice. I wish I had written that.

Beyond the presentation of the piece itself, the message screams to be heard.
I can see you, standing earnestly in front of each of these women, taking their hands in yours and saying this directly to them What a life changing manifesto; perhaps like nothing they have ever felt about themselves or thought anyone else did either.
This is important cultural poetry. Your work in Guatemala reaches far beyond scientific studies. You care deeply for these people and know that the women have more power than they know. Please read this to them.
Beautiful work.

[Marie Anzalone]

My heart truly is here, LJW, and it has been since I delivered a baby on the floor of a dirt hut some 11 years ago. Some things change a person forever. When you get a doctor for the men, but call the vet when the strnaded woman is in childbirth... yeah. That, to me, speaks vlumes. I want them all to see how beautiful and powerful they really are. can be.

thank you very much.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i love this Marie.

and the message is so clear...women are so much more than just beauty on the outside...they are wisdom, strength and healing....beauty on the inside as well...

[Marie Anzalone]

thank you, jacb... this is exactly how I intended the words. beauty and beyond: powerful. compassionate. leaders. anything they want to be.

[Corset]

straight on till morning` I loved your voice in this as I do everything you write, I especially loved:


Your thoughts are more than parents

your morality greater than church

your nutrition more than food

your steps greater than toil,

your concerns are not whining

your fears are neither stupid nor vain

your heart is more than Mother

your value more than a face

your fingers more than service.

women do, older ones to a lesser degree, mindset ourselves in such a way defined by appearances and worth determined by attention I wonder if men have the same external pressures. Always thought provoking and inspiring beautiful intelligent work.

[Marie Anzalone]

Men have many of the same pressures, I think.. but the locus of power is still predminantly male, and women ar emore likely to be dependent and stripped of power... especially in societies like the one I am living in. I thank you for your beautiful insights and review, Corset.

[lee von cleef]

Water is more, it is solid ice, Hot steam gas, thirst it quenches. To know such a reality it must be experienced,Thank you for opening the gates, that is how the girls got freckles, horses hoofs splashing up mud, as they rushed the gap to earth for man, and now, woman show 'em your riding skills.

[Marie Anzalone]

oh but I love that story, lee... thank you for sharing, and thank you for reviewing :-)

[Tree]

Such careful, exquisite writing, Raquelita. Not sure how this piece escaped me before, but following our mutual friends Dana and Hk, got me here. And the first thing I felt after my first read was how sure, confident, and reassuring the speaker is. It spoke in tones of not promises, but a Knowing, a knowing that can only come from a deep, and reverent understanding, of the women and girls you've given voice to. I will now make my way over to the spanish version, and can only hope that the beautiful compassionate people you have spoken of, would of had the opportunity to have read/ this moving ode, too


Diego Paz

[Marie Anzalone]

Thank you, Diego... this one was actually one of the peices I wrote in my head first in Spanish, as a tribute to these girls in my life... tryign to capture some of their own language and thoughts and feleigns and surroundings. It almost felt like soemthing was missing when I set the words down in English... like the power had gone out of them.