A Tribute to Widows

Today, 23 June, is International Widows' Day. It is a daythat recognizeswidows andsets the spotlight on their plight.My mother was widoweda few days before my fifth birthdaybut managed to raise four children single handedly. This poem is dedicated to her and the manystrong and resilient women whooftenhave to rebuild theirlives and raise children alone after the death of a spouse.

A Tribute to Widows

So, you met someone

He swept you off your feet

And turned your world

Upside down

You were madly in love

Caught up in your own world

You got married

And hoped to live happily ever after

But death’s cruel talons

Snatched him from yourembrace

And took him to a world

That the living cannot access

A life built over years

Shattered in seconds

You were left alone

To face the world

Raise the children

Deal with the ostracism

Your kind often faces

And live with the cruel reality

Of his permanent absence

Yet you arose

Wounded but determined

You forged ahead

Picked up the pieces

Rebuilt your shattered world

And learnt to live again

Today the world celebrates you

Strong and resilient woman!

Matilda Moyo

23 June 2017

To learn more about the International Widows' Day see: http://www.un.org/en/events/widowsday/