DON'T CALL ME OUT OF MY NAME

**Okay... This morning I was looking through my poetry folder, and I ran across this poem I wrote over ten years ago. This poem truly blessed my life, along with dozens of other young women. And when I read it this morning, it had the same profound effect on me, much like it did 13 years ago.

However, my life has changed so much since then. Back then, to be quite honest, I didn't know what the heck it really meant to be a woman, let alone a truly vertuous woman. But now I know. And looking at this poem places pressure on me to rise to the occasion. (My head hurts thinking about the high standards.)

I am not the woman in this poem that I wrote about 13 years ago. I wasn't her then. But the purpose of writing this poem was to call those things (me) into existence.

Plus, I made a decision then to not allow anyone to call me anything other than what God designed me to be. I forgot about that. Since then, I've been called a whole lot of things that I know I'm not. A bithch, a tease, a snob, a crybaby, and a judge...

But I declare this day, that I am defined by God. And I insist that through God's grace, I will become...Or should I say, I am a proverbs 31 woman. So, no matter what those that speak against me and negatively about me say, I know deep down in my heart who and Whose I am.

Enjoy!!!**

DON'T CALL ME OUT OF MY NAME
by Angela L. Braden


I may not be what many consider beautiful
Overweight I may be
Feeling my increasing age each day
But those things do not matter
Because beauty will pass away
But I will always be a Proverbs 31 Woman

Flirtiness, manipulation, and false charm are no longer apart of me
Deceit is a quality of my past
No longer am I filled with anger, seeking to strike out
No longer am I tearing down my house with my mouth
For I am a Proverbs 31 Woman

Many women detest me
And many men try to test me
But I stand strong like a mountain
Never to be moved
Never to be torn down
I am a Proverbs 31 Woman

I am striving daily to improve myself in all areas
Physically, emotionally, and most of all SPIRITUALLY
Mediocrity is no longer the standard that I live by
I must strive for perfection
I must be a healthy vessel
I am a Proverbs 31 Woman

One day I shall give myself to a MAN of GOD
Allowing him to experience my purity and truth
Sharing with him my deepest secrets
Loving him every day of my life
Giving him the opportunity to experience a Proverbs 31 Woman

He will love me
He will trust me
He will not leave me
For when my man finds me
He has found a good thing
For I am a Proverbs 31 Woman


**Miko, this is dedicated to you, baby. Love ya!**