
Images by Jayr and Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay
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On the last day of women’s month a CTL Creative Connections illustration workshop took place. The theme was “Shape of a woman”. Pi Delport wrote a poem for the event. It was shared on Facebook.
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The shape of a woman
The shape of a woman
Is hard to pin down
I don't know how to define it
But I know it when I see it
It is round and smooth
Like the forbidden fruit
Of the tree of knowledge
That Eve stole and gave to us all
It is small and soft
Like a mother cat, in front of her kittens
Staring down a bear
Ready for a fight
It is adorned with jewels
Like beads of sweat
On the skin of an athlete lifting weights that are heavier
Than the men who say she does not belong in the gym
It is delicate and fragile
Like the moonlit wisps of breath
Of a wolf's keening howl
Calling her pack to the deadly hunt
It is tender and sensitive
Like the bruises of a protester
Wiping teargas from her eyes
With her pockets full of sedition, and her voice full of defiance
It is full of curves and symmetry
Like a tiger, fearful, and burning bright
Framed by the forests of the night
It is modest and reserved
Like the black gown of a judge
Raising her gavel
To strike down an unjust law
It is firm and cherry-red
Like the gloves of an Olympic boxer
With the spirit of a beast
And her heart set on gold
It is wide open and glistening
Like the eyes of every woman
Who has blinked away tears in a mirror
And nevertheless, persisted
The shape of a woman
Is hard to pin down
I may know it when I see it
But it always surprises me