The Mirror

It was a sad Christmas and will be a New Year and winter of of discontent. Now that fight has left the spirit and the body has been left behind, we all feel mutilated and worse for wear.
It reminded me of all the times I have been hurt deliberately by men in my close inner circle who were supposed to be my protectors but turned predators. As the girl fought valiantly for her life and people poured in from all walks of life to support her and pray for her, I quietly shed a few tears for women in general and for my own self in particular. Broken, mutilated, without hope, we still continue struggling despite all the odds stacked high against us.
When the poor girl lay struggling in hospital beds, I stayed up looking at the mirror that was being held to my face by force - it showed to me a woman who had fought over and over again and most often could not triumph because the laws of our land are toothless and patriarchal judges and politicians rule the roost. I saw a woman who had spent a lifetime trying to swim against the tide and keep her head above water with very little help from the laws of the land or the society in general.
It also showed to me in a procession, all the other brave women I have known in this lifetime, who have fought much more bitter battles on their own and survived.
The exercise made me feel brave and humble at the same time but, it also made me ask, "Dear God why did you make us women?"

Girl Before a Mirror,1932, Pablo Picasso