While in seminary I heard a number of my female classmates speak out against the Proverbs 31 model of womanhood. I, for a number of reasons, agreed with them and wrote this spoken word piece to show solidarity. My classmates enjoyed it with much laughter when I performed it live at a seminary talent show.

Dear Proverbs 31 Woman, KEEP AWAY FROM ME.

Keep your rhetoric of hypocrisy, guised as virtuous femininity.
Keep your church hats, and church shoes, and church smiles that make me sing the church blues
As I drink booze, so confused at how I once again missed the clues.

Clues that always come together, the moment my heart is bound with fetters
And once again I write this letter, hoping that next time I’ll do better,
In choosing what will catch my eye, while I just let you “walk on by”,
As I sigh and no longer cry, and thank God while looking up to the sky.
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU JESUS! SHE PASSED ME BY!

NO MORE Unbiblical domination, and Biblical emasculation
As angels wait in hesitation, to offer their illumination
To this poor angel, whose wings you’ve clipped
To this poor actor, whose script you’ve flipped
To this poor minstrel, whose song you’ve skipped to play your song
Over and over again.

NO MORE Woman Thou art loosed, as bishops place the hangman’s noose
Around my broken neck, unfree, to live and father progeny
And there my soul swings up above as haters teach me how to love.
And below me stands you virtuous woman….
Writing in the diary of a mad Black woman.

So read my diary when you can
To: A MAD Black woman; From: A TIRED Black–Creole man.
–Tired of doing all the work.
–Tired of being called a sorry jerk.
–Tired of trying to do all the “right” stuff.
–Tired of not being spiritual enough.
–Tired of changing because you say change.
–Tired of rearranging because you say rearrange.
–Tired of wool and flax unspun; Verses 13 and 19
–Tired of no cooking at dawn; Verse 15
–Tired of a vineyard unplanted; Verse 16
Tired…..Tired……TIRED
But not too tired to drink to Thee and bid Thee Farewell,
And turn to heaven, away from this hell,
Where a down to earth woman will come to my cell;
And with an open heart finally break your spell.

And so Proverbs 31 woman,
Church hat, church shoes, church smile woman.
Unbiblical Domination, Biblical Emasculation woman.
Wing clipping, script flipping, song skipping woman.
Woman Thou art loosed, hangman’s noose, Teach me how to love woman.
Diary of a Mad Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, and everything else Woman woman.
Fire Baptized, Tongue Talkin, Holiness, Saved, Sanctified, Filled with Casper the Friendly….
Excuse me…..Please Disregard that…What I meant to say was….
Filled with the “Holy Ghost”, Trinity Broadcasting Network woman.

KEEP AWAY FROM ME.….YA HEARD ME?

Sincerely not yours,
Psalm 102 Man

This poem is © Scotty J. Williams