A Menopause Poem
I am the one on fire.
Menopause has been called ‘The Change’. And if there is a theme to aging, it is change. And whether you embrace it or fight it, it’s happening.
It's my Change, though. And I get to write the story to it. I get to define what it means for me.
I am the one on fire.
This is my rebirth. The rising Phoenix.
Those hot flashes are symbolically burning off layers.
The layers of old chapters, and old stories that have been told about me. Old stories I have told about myself for years.
Society has said this is where it all ends for me. My worth based on smooth skin and how attractive I am to someone else I don’t even know. If I can’t reproduce or be an object to look at, what good am I anymore to everyone else? Ahhh, so this is where I stop giving my last flying f*ck and move on. Me and my wrinkles and my brown spots and my attitude. Letting go of the shame of getting older, and looking like I am getting older. Letting go of youth culture and the hype of staying young. Letting go of the stories that my body is failing me.
Sure I get frustrated sometimes, but this body has:
Walked me to school and home.
It has repeatedly fallen.
Been bruised.
Has been held and caressed.
Hiked mountains.
Been bruised.
Planted trees.
Danced. And danced a lot.
Flown to Paris.
Planted trees.
Birthed two babies.
Thrown up from fear.
Hugged strangers.
Birthed two babies.
And there is no end to the list.
Held paintbrushes.
Felt warmth from a fire.
And there is no end to the list.
The challenge will be in how I face it and choose to move through it. It doesn’t have to be graceful. I won’t be quiet. I am choosing to live it like the Phoenix I am. I’ve suffered enough heat. I am excited to rise and transform my story.
The actress Isabella Rossellini puts aging in perspective, "In interviews, the first question I get in America is always: 'What do you do to stay young?' I do nothing. I don't think aging is a problem ... I'm so surprised that the emphasis on aging here is on physical decay, when aging brings such incredible freedom.”
There is no problem with aging.
The challenge will be in how I face it and choose to move through it. It doesn’t have to be graceful. I won’t be quiet. I am choosing to live it like the Phoenix I am. I’ve suffered enough heat. I am excited to rise and transform my story.
Jennifer Randall
