Kenia's Wednesday Challenge

Do not be destroyed.
Gather new stones
And build new poems.
Recreate your life, again and again.
Remove the stones and plant roses and make fruit jam. Restart.

Ana Lins dos Guimarães Peixoto was born in 1889 and she was a woman ahead of her time. Despite being poorly educated, she loved reading and started writing poetry at the age of 14. Because she didn't know much about grammar, her poetry focused in the message she wanted to deliver, instead of in metrics.  

Her life was filled with turning points, but it ended up exactly in the same place where it started, The Old Bridge House in Goiás, built around the mid XVIII Century. Ana spent important years of her life as a poet there and much of her poetry refers to everyday life in Goiás and her childhoood memories. The house has been turned into a museum to honor her.

Ana published her first book when she was 75 years old.  She had been married for 45 years when her husband died and from then on she adopted a new name that would enter the history of Brazilian Poetry: Cora Coralina. 

Inside me lives 

The working-class woman. 

Pretty proletarian. 

Pretty gossipy, 

Imprudent, unprejudiced, 

Rude, 

With little slippers, 

And many children.

Inside me lives 

The peasant 

—Grafted to the land, 

A little moody. 

Hard worker. 

Early riser. 

Illiterate. 

Barefoot. 

Good midwife. 

Good child raiser. 

Her twelve children, 

Her twenty grandchildren.

CHALLENGE: Cora had a very distinct sense of self, she was a very strong woman, in spite of her fragile appearance, a woman with a structure of iron, people would say. I like to think it's not just about Cora. There are so many brave women everywhere, they are mothers, sisters, wives, teachers, poetesses, housewives. My challenge today asks of you to write a poem to revere the goddess inside each and every woman, to celebrate feminine. Those of you who are boys can come too! 

When you're finished, please link your poem below and provide a link for the Real Toads in your blog. Happy writing!