beautiful women

beautiful women 
you break 
my heart

you show me what I yearn to be
what I yearn to see 
in myself
what I hoped my mom would be

my mom was beautiful once
wasn’t she?
but why couldn’t she see
the beauty in me? 
the beauty in you? 

beautiful women 
you show me how to live 
how to unveil my heart
love myself
live into my own beauty

beautiful women who sing and dance
you remind me of freedom
freedom of the soul
expressing words that cannot be spoken

my soul cannot be spoken
only touched
shared
embraced

beautiful women
how do you share so freely? 
despite fear of loss or pain or rejection?
how do you hold the immensity of your pain?

beautiful women
you shine 
when no one is watching
you smile at yourself
hug your brokenness and your wholeness 
celebrate the growth that comes after a fire
and embrace the “hoorahs” and the “boo hoos” 

beautiful women
I see you

minh dang
august 2011

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