Strong Manchester Women

I was invited to perform some of my poems today at Manchester's International Womem's Day event, they have been running a great campaign this year called Strong Manchester Women.  I used their campaign as inspiration for this poem.

Strong Manchester Women,
I see them everywhere,
difficult to spot, sometimes,
to the untrained eye.

They wear, hijab's, short skirts, joggers,suits,
brogues, trainers, heels and Doc Martin boots,
Appearance always commented on,
regardless, they wear what they like and carry on.

Strong Manchester Women, lift you up,
Strong Manchester Women, believe you.
Strong Manchester Women,
know we are stronger together.
They get things done,
they carry on,
even with no path.
They will cry with you, fight for you, listen and laugh.

You can not spot them by their size or shape,
the colour of their skin, who they love,
or how much money they make.

They have a look, in their eyes,
it's hard to mistake.

It's LOVE, for themselves,
and the choices they make.
Even under the weight of our history,
they stand so tall.

A history not taught in school but learnt.
Do Not Love Yourself.

But... Alas, they do.
Giving us all permission to love ourselves too.