Go First Woman

Go first woman
Take the next step, and the next step, and the next
Don't hesitate at the edge 
Beyond which no one's traveled
Past that threshold you are at home
In the magic, the mystery

Go first woman
Do not wait for another to draw the map
You are the map 
You are the maker
Of blazing new trails
Paths forged of your own fear

Go first woman
Butt your head against countless dead ends
If that's what it takes
Your heart is of the ocean
Your will is of stone
You are unbreakable, woman
You are essential

Go first woman
The waves don't ask permission to lap the shores
The seagull doesn't hesitate to squawk and fuss
The trees never checked if they could grow so high
The sun never questioned how bright it could shine

Go first woman
And when your sister calls you forth
Step up, stand beside her
Meet her where she's reaching towards

Go first woman
You are a lighthouse, are a door
Are a ship sailing to the ends of the Earth
You didn't come here to be moored

Go first woman
Break through the ceiling and explore
You are an inventor, an initiator 
This life is fully yours

I wrote these words at a poetry walk-shop with wordsmith Mani Kidston. A woman who is going first in empowering others to ground to the Earth and find their own voice through poetry.
To read more from Mani: https://medium.com/@mani_kidston