I found this in my e-mail today from a very dear friend. It’s obvious she loves me, to have given me a copy of such an awesome writing. This is one of the best things I’ve read in a very long time.
I felt a very strong need to share this with my world in a way that reaches more people than just my e-mail list.
So I hope when you read from this point froward, you will learn, grow, and become a bit more wise in your own way, and share with everyone you know.
MAYA ANGELOU’S BEST POEM EVER
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
enough money within her control to move out
and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to…
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour….
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …
a youth she’s content to leave behind….
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to
retelling it in her old age….
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…
one friend who always makes her laugh… and one who lets her cry…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family….
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal,
that will make her guests feel honored…
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a feeling of control over her destiny…
how to fall in love without losing herself..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship….
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW……
when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY….
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
that she can’t change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..
that her childhood may not have been perfect…but it’s over…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more…
how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW.. .
whom she can trust,
whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
where to go…
be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…
or a charming Inn in the woods..
when her soul needs soothing…
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…
a month…and a year…
So there you have it. Some of the best advice I’ve read in a very long time. My favorite part is the one about, “A Woman Should Know… She can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, the nature of her parents, and that her childhood may not have been perfect… but it’s over.” In other words, grow up.
Amen! This poem for me has truest words that have ever been spoken. What I got out of this is, “Learn it all, forgive it all, and live!”
