Why I Call Myself a Poetess: Behind the Poem “call me poetess”

Last updated on October 20th, 2025 at 10:28 am

There’s power in the names we choose to keep. Poetess may sound old-fashioned to some, but to me, it’s a word that carries lace and strength, faith and fire. It’s how I honor the women who came before me and how I stand against a world that keeps trying to erase the feminine.

call me poetess

i was raised to know who i am
by women who never apologized
for lace, or lipstick, or holy fire;
they simply lived and dared and tried

their courage taught me how to stand,
how to speak when silence pressed down,
to write with ink that will not fade,
and wear my faith like a crown

man may steal my dress or echo my tone,
but he can’t rewrite my story.
for woman is more than what is worn
she carries the heart of God’s glory

call me poetess, and say it proud,
let the word fall sweet, not small.
for i am woman… rooted, risen,
and i will not be erased at all


Mary Kaye Chambers (10/13/15)

Behind the Poem

Pull up a chair and pour yourself a cup of coffee, because I’ve got something to say that’s been sitting heavy on my heart.

You see, I’ve always loved the word poetess. It’s graceful. It’s tender. It’s strong in its own quiet way — the kind of strength that doesn’t need to shout to be heard. It reminds me of lace curtains fluttering in an open window while thunder rumbles in the distance. Feminine, yes… but powerful, too.

Yet somewhere along the way, someone decided that poetess was an outdated word. That it somehow didn’t belong anymore. That women should just call themselves poets — as if the word poetess was something to be ashamed of.

Well, honey, that’s where I draw the line.

We women have fought hard for our place in the world, and lately, it feels like we’re being asked to give it right back. We’re told not to call ourselves mothers, but birthing persons. We’re told not to say breastfeeding, but chest feeding. We’re told that men can compete in our sports and walk into our locker rooms and we’re just supposed to smile politely and act like it’s fine.

But it’s not fine.

A man may wear a dress, but he’ll never be a woman. He can imitate the look, but not the life. He will never carry the quiet strength that comes from living as a woman — from nurturing, bleeding, birthing, and enduring. A man can never replace a woman’s essence. There is something divine about the way we were created, something sacred that can’t be duplicated, no matter how many labels the world tries to rearrange.

There’s beauty in our softness and fire in our resolve. And the word poetess honors that. It speaks to the way we weave emotion into words, how we turn pain into poetry, how we find grace even in the grit.

Calling myself a poetess isn’t about being old-fashioned. It’s about being whole. It’s about standing tall in who I am — female, fierce, and free to claim every inch of womanhood God gave me.

So yes, I am a poetess.

I write from a woman’s heart. I speak from a woman’s soul. I celebrate what it means to be feminine — not in spite of the world, but in defiance of anyone who tells me I shouldn’t.

Because, my dear, you can’t erase me. You can’t rename me. And you sure can’t silence me.

I’m here.
I’m strong.
And my voice WILL be heard.

🪶 Journal Prompt
How do you personally express your feminine strength and creativity? Write about a time you stood firm in who you are, even when the world tried to redefine you.

💌 Before You Go

If this message resonates with you, please share it with another strong woman who refuses to be erased. Also consider subscribing to the newsletter. Let’s keep our voices strong and unmistakably feminine.

📖 Glossary

• Poetess: a female poet; a woman who writes poetry.
• Feminine essence: the innate grace, intuition, and strength that define womanhood.
• Erasure: the act of removing or denying identity or recognition.
• Grace: beauty in movement, manner, or spirit.
• Resolve: firm determination.
• Defiance: bold resistance against pressure or expectation.

📍 Please Share This Post ⤵︎