Every woman

I have survived
thousands of years-
Given birth in a cotton field
and went back to work-
I have been the downfall
of more than one
head of state
with just the swish of my hips-
I have been labeled a heretic,
burned at the stake
for my beliefs-
You will find me gracing
the front cover
of a fashion magazine-
You will also find me splayed open
in the center of another-
I have worked a double,
taken night classes
and still raised a family-
I have been stoned to death
for being accused
of speaking to a man-
I've also flown to space,
broken through glass ceilings
but still make less
than my fellow man
for the same work-
I've been married off
as a mere child
to a man old enough to be
my grandfather-
I have had my genitalia mutilated
all in the name
of my cultures beliefs-
I have bore children
and lost them also
burying them along with all my tears-
I have been brutally raped
and then accused of
dressing inappropriately-
I have been lauded, coveted,
the toast of the town-
I've also been verbally and physically abused,
being treated like property-
I come in all shapes and sizes,
all different shades,
an entire spectrum of differences-
For all the differences
we are all the same-
Inside our bodies
beats the heart
of every woman-