There You Are

John Michael Antonio

there you are
still standing
defiant and victorious
after the firefights
as beautiful as ever

resilient and glorious
precious wrinkles and scars intact
piercing eyes shining
a survivor’s radiance
external courageous love
covering internal bruises

a living breathing
smiling and laughing
explanation of why
the Muses were women
every sway of your body
every delicious thought
every spoken word
every show of quiet

enormous feminine strength
a spark of inspiration

Photo Credit: simpleinsomnia via Compfight cc

Written by 

John Michael Antonio is a freelance writer, photographer, poet and screenwriter. He claims his Midwestern roots while at the same time admitting his incurable and insatiable love and addiction for all things New York City. He has been the husband to his wife, the love of his life, for almost thirty years and is a father of three wonderful children. He is an unapologetic male feminist as well as a passionate lover of fashion, art, movies and music from all eras and genres. An endless dreamer, John Michael is also an avid historian, ex-punk rocker and a legendary Internet surfer who sleeps, on average, about four hours a day. His work has also been featured on The Good Men Project.

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46 thoughts on “There You Are”

  5. Woman empowerment all the way. This is a really powerful poem. Thank you for sharing.

  6. What a beautiful poem. As a married mom but one who was in a situation where I was like a single mom, I hope that I leave a legacy for my own children.

  21. I have some wonderfully strong women in my family. They do serve to inspire, and that includes the ones who are here, and the ones who no longer are… Nice job on the poetry!

  23. Such beautiful thoughts strung together in an even more beautiful rhythm. I needed this today, so thank you!

  24. That picture speaks to me all by itself. This poem just adds so much more depth to what I was already feeling.

  27. What a wonderful poem. Thank you for sharing this with us. I love reading poems. You did a great job.

  28. Powerful lines, you got the stanza’s in the right places. Very deep and meaningful. I love how poetry is open to intrepretation by the individual. i.e it might meant something different to me than it does to you

  29. You have a talent! I wish I can also write poems. I love reading poems, they are great!

  30. That’s such a beautiful poem. It’s inspiring to see how strong people are even after the world has crashed before them. Thanks for the lovely read! How refreshing!

  36. Beautiful! I love reading poetry. There is so much feelings in those words. There are so many challenges in the journey of womanhood, and it is just amazing how and where we can draw our strength to overcome those challenges.

  37. Thank you Liz 🙂 Basically the poem concerns itself with how the women in my life and women in general, serve as my inspiration in all that I do. I was primarily raised by a single mother and I had two older sisters while growing up and watching them through their daily struggles left an indelible impression upon my psyche. I am in constant awe of the strength, perseverance and courage that women, from all walks of life, display every single day in their daily lives. Like the poem says, they are a constant source of inspiration for me as a writer, photographer and as a human being in general.

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