When I was a young gal, scrap that - a “young lady”,
I was taught by the nuns at school to be savoury.
To be a pillar of society in the eyes of St. Paul,
because that was the name of that eventful all girls school.
The one I attended from 11-16.
The one that has taught me that sometimes I’m mean.
And not from a sense of mean for means sake
But to stand up, stand your ground, be authentic, not fake.
It’s oxymoronic, if you ask me now.
29 years of age and I’m taking a bow
For all of the times I didn’t listen to advice
From a school that taught me to be both mean and nice
What they actually said was “all things to all people”
Omnia Omnibus, a school motto staple.
I struggled a lot when I was a teen,
With approval, with caring, with perfectionist extremes.
And I’d be lying to say that all those things are in the past
Because the things you pick up growing up, well they last.
I find myself now, in a position of seeking
For women, more wise, more abrupt, more intriguing
They’re twenty years older, their characters bolder
And I know that’s who I’d like to be like when I’m older
And I have them. They’re there. With their knowing stares
When I tell them that age they’re at? Well I can’t wait to be there!
Because then I’ll care less about the approval of others
And I’ll be the wacky aunt to the kids of my brothers.
And I’ll call it channelling my Inner Miriam Margolyes.
Because she says what she says
Sometimes effing and blinding
But she’s kind all the same and so that’s what I’m finding.
That through all of the social conditioning in life,
we need kindness a plenty to truly survive.
So when I’m older and greying
though grey I’m starting to be,
I hope someone writes a poem about me.
And how throughout my life I was blunt and headstrong
But I acted with kindness in the face of all that was wrong.
So to Cynthia, to Jenny, to Sharon too,
I thank you for allowing me to learn from you.
For the hard truths, career advice and giving me life,
You are bad-ass women who have helped me survive.
To Sister Hilary, Miss Casserly and my time at St. Paul’s,
You’ve shaped me to no end and I’m proud of it all.
So some lasting advice before I go to bed
Because I needed to get this out of my head…
To the women in my life,
This is an ode to you.
We’ll never please everyone with all that we do
So please live your life and do it for you!
You are valuable, unique and your character, bold.
Don’t wait for permission or till you get old.
You are beautiful now and you’ll be beautiful then
So it’s not a question of if, it’s a matter of when!
Awww, Nessa friend, made me cry! Thank you! Don't think anyone has written an ode about me or called me bad-ass before! 😂
My ego won't allow me to think that you don't know many other Jennys, but I am a woman of a certain age who has seriously stopped giving a flying fuck about what anyone thinks of me. I can't pinpoint when this happened but I reckon it was sometime in my mid 40s. With age comes wisdom, and a freedom of spirit for sure xx