She
Poem by Fannes Andrea JotiBeautiful.
Delicate.
Complicated.
Powerful.
She is all of it,
a living juxtaposition.
Soft at the edges,
sharp in her wit.
She wears her heart outward,
stitched together by strings
only she can hold.
Protected,
not foolish.
Not everyone
can embrace her fully.
Many never make it
past the radiance
to her true self.
She is not cold.
Not selfish.
Not above the world.
She is simply protecting herself.
Desired and mocked
for her glory,
there is no right way
for her to exist,
so she no longer seeks
the judgment of men.
She seeks only
power, truth,
and the life
within herself.
Delicate.
Complicated.
Powerful.
She is all of it,
a living juxtaposition.
Soft at the edges,
sharp in her wit.
She wears her heart outward,
stitched together by strings
only she can hold.
Protected,
not foolish.
Not everyone
can embrace her fully.
Many never make it
past the radiance
to her true self.
She is not cold.
Not selfish.
Not above the world.
She is simply protecting herself.
Desired and mocked
for her glory,
there is no right way
for her to exist,
so she no longer seeks
the judgment of men.
She seeks only
power, truth,
and the life
within herself.
Artist Statement
The image (of the prompt) had no label, and I think that is what intrigued me the most. We used to exist without labels, yet society is obsessed with placing people into boxes and defining them by a single identity. My poem explores the complexity of womanhood and the way women are often criticized simply for being multifaceted human beings. We are expected to be soft but strong, beautiful but modest, emotional but controlled. The jewelry piece inspired me because it appears delicate and radiant on the surface, yet intricate and guarded underneath. I used this as a metaphor for women who protect themselves after being misunderstood or judged. The poem challenges the idea that being guarded means being cold or selfish. Instead, it suggests that self-protection is an act of strength. I also wanted to reflect how women are often treated like works of art, admired from a distance and expected to remain beautiful inside a figurative glass case, rather than fully understood as people.