Did I Shave My Legs for This?

A full moon trumpeted the arrival of a baby girl,

Her tiny hands and bright eyes silenced the noise of the world.

Mother rejoiced in the beauty and blessing from whence she came,

Father appreciated the triumph and power that she reigned.

Babe you are your mother’s glory, your father’s peace.

Time stops for none, the world creeps into upbringing and preparation,

Year after year your birth is still a blessed celebration.

But every year, more innocence is lost,

As parents interfere, guide and protect at any cost.

Darling you are your mother’s angel and your father’s princess.

The elders’ wisdom plus worldly influences influence so much,

She’s building an arsenal of knowledge, truth, friendship, love and trust.

Adolescence is a troubling time, yet she is anything but alone,

Refuge lies in the lovely garment created of the fabric the family has sewn.

Young lady you are your mother’s strength and your father’s weakness.

Father feeds knowledge equipped with cautionary tales of reality,

Mother wraps her in the art of femininity coupled with spirituality.

Her crown is strengthening with jewels of ancestral heirlooms and societal charms,

She knows her people need her to succeed and excel, while society wants her to conform.

Today you become your mother’s legacy and your father’s warrior.

“There is no settling”, her father strictly demands,

“You must strive for excellence always”, her mother commands.

“Faith over fear”, heed always your father’s advice,

“Look before you leap, talk only after listening twice.”

Young goddess, you are your father’s weapon and your mother’s heiress.

You inherit the weight of the world from a world that is ungrateful,

Tasked with looking after men who are unworthy and women who are spiteful.

Regardless your task is great and your worth is endless,

Embrace your regal status, it is yours immeasurable and timeless.

Greetings your highness…for today, you are a queen.

Without a king at your throne, you are still a queen,

You harness your father’s power you will always reign supreme.

No man can tarnish what you have cultivated or created,

No man is worth settling, belittling, is it you who made it.

Once groomed your king will arrive, for kings are made while Queens are born.