In celebration of International Women’s History Month, Uchenna Umeh, MD shared this poem with The African Magazine

Happy International Women’s Day!

I am an international woman. 

I am here to take up space.

I am here to fill the void 

My voice matters

My life matters 

My being matters. 

My being here matters 

I am a Black woman

A sista

A Soulja 

You think I’m too much?

I am not nearly enough!

My toomuchness is needed in this world!

I am a Coco Goddess

A voodoo priestess 

A Damned Princess

A Queenager 

A QweerQween 

A sea siren

A maiden-in-waiting

A maiden in distress 

My skin reflects the sun

My hair defies gravity 

My teeth are ivory 

My breasts, for suckling 

My shoulders a resting place 

My bosom for loving

My thighs for your admiration 

My hips for my waist beads

My womb for your babies. 

I am your wife 

I am your lover 

I am your fighter 

I am your baby mama 

I am also your worst nightmare 

We are international women

We are queer 

We are lesbians

We are poly amorous

We are pansexual

We are Aces 

We are Demisexual  

We are gender nonconformers 

We are non binary 

We are agenda 

We are transgender 

We are here. 

We take up space 

Love us or leave us

I am a phenomenal woman 

I love you

But I’ll cut you

I damn you 

I save you 

I’ll run to you 

And al gladly I walk away from you 

I am passed over for school 

I am passed over for work 

I am passed over for promotions 

I am even passed over for love 

I am a girl-child 

I survived infant death 

I survived child abuse 

I survived emotional neglect 

I survived no education. 

I have survived incest

I survived early marriage 

I survived genital mutilation 

I survived your heart break 

I survived my bruised bones 

I survived you. 

Still I rise 

I can walk alone

I can walk in packs 

I can walk farther 

I can walk faster 

I can walk deeper 

I can walk inner

I can walk taller. 

I cry alone 

I cry in the dark 

I cry together 

I weep

I wail

I laugh…

I smile 

I know you 

I see you

I hear you

I feel you

I think like you

I am you 

I am a girl child

I am a woman 

I am a trans girl 

I am a trans woman

I am a friend

I am a sister 

I am an aunt 

I am a cousin 

I am a niece

I am a sibling

I am a nibbling 

I am a mother 

I am grandmother 

I am your ancestor

I am your descendant 

I am your past 

I am your present 

I am today 

I am yesterday 

I am tomorrow 

I am your future 

I am the future 

I am there for you when you need me. 

I am there for you when you don’t. 

I am everything to everyone 

Sometimes nothing to me. 

We are international women 

We hear the bombs in the distance

We dance to the drums in the distance 

We hear our babies cries in the distance 

We mourn our loved ones in the distance 

We are Dora Milaje 

We are Geishas 

We are Egedege dancers

We are Fela’s wives 

We are Cleopatras and Aminas 

We are Qween Charlotte

We are Catherine the great

We are Margaret Thatcher

We are Dahomey Amazons

We are Warrior Women

We are international women 

Faya fighters 

Love makers 

Booty shakers 

Kiss makers 

Heart breakers 

Wound healers 

Baby makers 

Home breakers 

Go getters. 

We are women

We love, laugh, walk, work, stare, know, like, trust, sing, sleep, cook, clean, gossip, win, and lose. 

We are Warrior Women

Hear us roar!

I am a warrior woman

Hear me roar

I am that I say I am

Because I can 

_________________

Uchenna L. Umeh, MD aka Dr. Lulu The Momatrician is a certified life coach, retired pediatrician, International Motivational TEDx speaker, Talk Show host and 4-time bestselling author.