i see the warrior,
head high and chin proud,
jaw firmly set against the oncoming storm,
arms at the ready,
your weapons within reach,
ready to strike without warning,
for this is what you know -
only to fight
for the chance to own yourself,
to be free from the oppression that
strangles from every direction
and steals the air from your lungs.

it is just one of the many different yous that are,
one face among many,
beautiful and fierce,
hard and softly loving,
that i have come to know.

and i wonder when the warrior's heart and passion will give sway to the intellect,
when the war is done, if you will be someone newer and better,
and what place there is for me in that time.