WOMAN by Ayala Zarfjian

Woman


I discovered the crow’s feet
nestled by my eyes.
I forgave them
and accepted them to be mine.
I love that they exhibit a piece of my struggle.
Days I squinted in delight,
dark nights when weeping left me drained and numb.
I questioned the veins in my hands,
pronounced and deep,
then I accepted them
for all the hard labor they had done.
Hands weathered by love given,
days from dawn to dusk,
babies they had washed,
foreheads caressed.
I watched my white strands
residing in my dark hair.
I accepted them
for their resilience and beauty.
I challenged my mind
to battle the known,
and seek the wonder of the unknown.
I challenged my soul
to rise up
and embrace the woman I have become
and embrace the life I have been given.

(This poem is an excerpt from the author's debut poetry book, Second Chances: Poetry from a Sun-Kissed Life, released May 7th, 2019, and available by clicking here.)

Ayala Zarfjian, an Israeli-born American poet, is a mother, grandmother, survivor, and a lover of life. When Ayala is not writing or designing jewelry, she loves to spend time with her boys. Her other passions are traveling, deep-sea fishing with her husband, meditating, reading, and art. Her poems have been published online and anthologized in "Chiaroscuro, Darkness and Light: Voices from poets - dVerse Anthology" (2017) and "Poetry as a Spiritual Practice: Illuminating the Awakened Woman" (2016). She resides with her family in Plantation, Florida, and blogs at "A Sun Kissed Life."

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