End of Oblivion

A woman's hallmark: her flow is her flame

Vital, essential, the bearer of life

When her menses ends, why must she feel shame

She's a daughter, a mother, someone's wife

Oblivion takes her when the fireworks cease

Taboo and tired, no honor, no peace

~

Vital, essential, the bearer of life

Maiden's cycle to a mother's rich womb

The female warrior of labor's strife

Fertility is where the daisies bloom

Blood of blood, only a woman's magick

Why must people deem cessation tragic

~

When her menses ends, why must she feel shame

Midlife transition is always normal

An absence of flow does not change her name

One naive doctor will jilt her formal

Practitioners need fresh education

Menopause warrants more dedication

~

She's a daughter, a mother, someone's wife

Loving and lively, active with a voice

An era's end should not equal her strife

As if a bodily change were her choice

Many chapters to write and stories to tell

Aging is a privilege, don't make it her hell

~

Oblivion takes her when the fireworks cease

Feeling forgotten, useless, and misjudged

It's physical, emotional, support her, please

Praise her level-up era, think not begrudged

Society makes her feel out of sight and mind

A walk it back prompt: to always be kind

~

Taboo and tired, no honor, no peace

When the monthly flow no longer exists

Think of the future: daughter, sister, or niece

How might we correct what society resists

Mayhap rewrite the title: Maiden, Mother, Crone

Matriarch ousts Crone as leader, woman, backbone

~

Author's Note: For this entry, I used the Trenta-Sei poem created by poet John Ciardi. This 36-line poem has a specific rhyme pattern and refrains.

Recently, I turned 54 and celebrated the mark of menopause. Although discussed more in our modern day, greater headway is necessary, as taboos still hurt our middle-aged women

I altered "Crone" in the Triple Goddess Symbol to honor women with a more uplifting word.