Poetry for Women (By Women, For Women, About Women)

THE PEARL

Photo credit due to http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0177/1012/files/tahitian_pearls_1_grande.jpg?1621

When I was born, my mother gave me a pearl
It was flawless and shiny and beautiful and mine
As I grew she told me that my pearl was precious
And it was
She told me it was special
That I could do with it what I wanted
She said it was mine and no one could take it away from me
I kept it safely on my neck, so no one could take it away

When I was 16, a boy, a charming boy came by
He was sweet and kind, he told me so many nice things, until
Until he took my pearl
He smashed into thousands of pieces
He didn’t stop until it was nothing but an ugly dust
Then he lay the shards back in my outstretched hands

When I told people of his treachery
They said I deserved it for displaying it so proudly
They said that’s what boys do
They blamed me for giving my pearl worth
They, who taught me the virtue of my pearl,
Now attacked me for seeing its value
And not the boy who hadn’t
Not the boy who took it from me and destroyed it while I watched helplessly


 -- Coley Poet