By Aishath Noorain Jiyad, 9B

she is a being of
delicacy, felicity, and
charm.
she reigns her own throne
in her own kingdom.
evidence of womanhood
is displayed atop her waist,
like jewelry,
around her thighs.
but be not at fault
by her honeyed smile
or her fragile body,
as from her lips run
love and excruciating pain,
wisdom, and iniquity.
of men she is most famous,
of women she is most praised.
but twisted,
this peculiar scarcity—
so beautiful and beyond,
is also
every women
who’ve bled and broke,
loved and lost—
concept: so women
you are art, you are life,
for your exquisite empowerment
ceases to fall.
oh darlings,
chin up and
stride tall.