When I was a little girl
I dreamed that my knight in shining armor would come
He would sweep me off my feet
And we would go to a place where romance would abound
So I asked God to make my dream come true
I obviously didn’t know what I was asking for
But that was my request and I was sticking to it
And for the life of me and being all caught up in my imagination
I forgot that a knight is not an ordinary man
But a man that God has ordained and anointed to fight
And it happened
I saw you waging war with punches, kicks, joint locks and throws
Bringing men to their knees with pressure points
I was all caught up in the man called you
The power of your presence made me wait to exhale
And then you noticed me and the rest is becoming his-story
But let me tell you about me
The reflections of a warrior queen
I am the one God chose for you
Flesh of your flesh and bone of your bone
Loving you with an unfailing love
Equally yoked
Letting you lead as I follow
Not because I have to
But because I want to
I am the one God chose for you
I am your rib
Holding together the most vital parts of your being
Protecting your heart
Letting your lungs expand by giving you room to breath
Not holding you too tight or too close or too long but just right
Keeping your secrets
And supporting your dreams
I am the one God chose for you
Straining sometimes to know the intensity of
That gift God put inside of you
That even makes you fight in your sleep
And has taught me never to put my hands on you
Even to wake you from it
I am the one God chose for you
Spiritually fighting with weapons that are not carnal
Mentally fighting to understand the totality of you
And the authenticity of me
Emotionally fighting back the tears as you sometimes seem
To be married to the dojo not me
Physically fighting when I conveniently become your uke
For that new technique you just created
And now that I am known as a part of you
I long to be known apart from you
Not to your exclusion
Just searching in the balance for the identity
And individuality of me
For the martial artist that I am
Interpreting and expressing the art through what is uniquely me
You see we are yin and yang
Male and female energy
Continuously changing
Always looking for the balance
One moves, the other responds
One ebbs, the other flows
We must be in balance
For I am the one God chose for you
My name is Linda
It means pretty one
I am Gina
The pure one
I am Judy
Full of joy and praise
I am Veronica
The true image
I am Dominick
I am of the Lord
I am Charlene
Strong and womanly
I have exceeded what people call me
What they think of me
Who they think I am
And where they think I’m going
I will no longer hide behind the greatness of my knight in shining armor
But walk in the light of my own greatness
Becoming
More than being
Because you have my back
That thing that God put inside of you
Is in me too
That’s why no other man understands me like you do
I am the one God chose for you
And you
You are my dream come true
Chief Instructor