On the day I got my period
I was crowned with daisies
and given a beautiful silver and golden dress
made out of the sun and the moon.
On the day I got my period
my family rejoiced.
My mother made high-pitched, joyful sounds.
My father bowed in reverence.
On the day I got my period
I was invited to seek wisdom from the
sky, water, earth and fire.
I was told this task would be my true initiation into womanhood.
On the day I got my period
I climbed to the top of a mountain
where I was challenge by the sky
to make my inner beauty as unforgettable as the view.
On the day I got my period
I rode the river’s untameable rapids on a wooden canoe
where I was challenged by the water, to travel with life’s flow.
On the day I got my period
my shoeless feet drummed wildly against the plains.
I ran and ran until I heard the earth challenge my heart
to remain grounded even when it was racing.
On the day I got my period
I sought wisdom from the fire, but I couldn’t find it.
As tears extinguished any hope I had of finishing my journey,
I heard the fire inside me speak,
challenging me to always keep it ignited.
On the day I got my period
my family gathered together for a feast.
The men hunted. The woman gathered
and prepared the most succulent of dishes.
On the day I got my period
my family danced to the tune of the trees,
moving to a universal rhythm
we all have known since before we were born.
On the day I got my period
I felt a oneness with all other creatures
knowing that we are all
daughters, mothers and grandmothers.
On the day I got my period
the elders recalled their own stories,
travelling back through their own
proud passages of womanhood
until the glowing embers turned grey.
On the day I got my period,
I snuggled under a warm blanket of moonlight
and dreamed of the long chain of goddesses,
who I was now a part of.
– Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Friend, Woman
If you enjoyed this period poem, read more from my book On The Day I Got My Period. It’s a collection of stories about first periods for young women who just got their first period.
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i really really enjoy this book, it is so awesome i love it im glad you wrote that book i would enjoy if you could write some more
Thanks ,
Macy Dalton
Thanks for the lovely note, Macy! My wife and I are so glad you enjoyed her book. We’ll be sure to pass your comments on to all the women who helped put it together. Natasha is currently working on a fiction book for children, but we have talked about doing more books about life transitions–it just takes a while to compile all those stories!
I haven’t read the book but the poem maybe gave me a hint of what the book was about.
Thanks,
Jess
I really enjoyed this book and My 16 year old daughter loves doing madlibs and I do too. My daughter blossom loves glow words books. love blossom and her mom
Glad you guys enjoyed the book. I have always loved madlibs as well. Thanks for the comment!