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I am twenty-five And when I am called a girl I speak like a girl: I flirt and giggle and play dumb. But when I remember I am a woman, I put away childish things And speak out, and share, and love.
I am thirty-six And when I am called a girl I think like a girl; I feel incompetent So I serve and help the men around me. But when I remember I am a woman, I put away childish things And work and create and achieve.
I am fifty-two And when I am called a girl I understand like a girl; I let others protect me from the world. But when I remember I am a woman, I put away childish things And decide, and risk, and live my own life.
"— Nancy R. Smith “Call Me a Woman”
