A Compelling Portrait of Perseverance

Yinka Olatunbosun

Zooming in on “Warrior Woman,” one of the poems in Kate’s collection of poems, ‘Seven Shredded Sisters,’ provides a glimpse into the quiet strength of the everyday woman. Sharing similarity with much of Mary Oliver’s work, it is rooted in the simplicity of life and the deep beauty found in ordinary moments. The persona in this poem, moves with the grace of someone who has long been acquainted with hardship, yet finds within it a certain peace.

From the first line, there is a soft awakening, a transition from weariness to purpose, as the “warrior snaps out of wine-stupor.” The imagery feels tactile—creasing brows, billowing curtains, fresh tomatoes. These are not grand gestures, but the familiar rhythms of a life lived fully, a life shaped by responsibility and care. The marketplace, with its carrying of bags and scents of rosemary and cinnamon, brings the reader into a scene full of motion and sensory detail.

There’s a dance in this poem, but not the kind born of joy alone—it’s one made of survival. The multitasking hands, the courage drawn from deep wells, are gestures of a woman who has learned to bend without breaking. She moves through her day like “an octopus,” a creature of endless reach, balancing everything at once. And yet, there’s something tender here, something soft beneath all this labour. The “fluffy grace” and “hope fetched from hidden crags” remind us that, even in the hardest moments, there are small beauties to be gathered, small victories to hold onto.

The poem, with its grounded language and attention to detail, speaks to a life lived in quiet defiance of exhaustion. It reminds us of the grace found in endurance and the subtle power of simply carrying on. There’s no need for embellishment here. It accentuates a woman’s strength and the resilience found in the quotidian billows of time.

The poem “Warrior Woman” offers a nuanced depiction of strength, resilience, and the delicate balancing act of survival. With a blend of vivid imagery and layered metaphors, the piece weaves a narrative of a woman whose life demands both grace and grit.

The poem begins with the protagonist “easing to litheness,” a subtle yet powerful image of someone awakening from a state of intoxication or weariness. This opening sets the tone for the ongoing tension between exhaustion and vitality, a theme that runs throughout the poem. The warrior, symbolic of both strength and vulnerability, embodies the constant push and pulls off life’s demands.

Through imagery such as “creasing brows like curtains billowing,” the poem captures moments of tension, while the reference to marketplaces and the mundane task of “carrying fresh tomatoes in ashtrays” grounds the poem in a tangible reality. These contrasting moments—of the warrior’s inner life and the external world of the marketplace—create a beautiful juxtaposition, highlighting the multitasking nature of the protagonist’s existence.

The use of natural elements, such as “hummingbirds” and “cinnamon dusts,” introduces a sense of fleeting beauty and adds layers of sensory experience to the poem. These details, paired with references to “rosemary leaves” and “whiffs snapped from ambulatory hucksters,” give the poem an earthy, grounded feel, while also suggesting that survival is both a spiritual and physical task.

The warrior woman’s multitasking is described with “the verve of an octopus,” suggesting not just her dexterity, but also the seemingly infinite demands placed upon her. Yet, in the face of all these challenges, she draws “hope fetched from hidden crags,” a metaphor for resilience and the ability to find strength in the unlikeliest places.

Kate combined a panoply of poignant poetic devices in the shaping of the texture of this poem, which made it keen to the sensibilities of its readers amongst the poems in her collection of poems, Seven Shredded Sisters —which espouses the draggled experiences of women in a coarse world.

Overall, the poem, “Warrior Woman” is a compelling portrait of perseverance, where joy and sadness, life and pauses are melded together. The poem celebrates the quiet, unyielding strength of a woman who, despite the burdens of life, continues to navigate her world with grace and courage. The use of rich sensory detail and metaphor elevates the narrative, leaving the reader with an appreciation for the warrior’s quiet yet profound strength.