THE BEACON OF THE CRADLE

'The essence of the quintessence of beauty'

A smile formed on my lips as I read this piece...because all the other pieces began to make sense now.

So I looked at her once more... And it all began to make sense

Then I saw it...it was in her eyes. Eyes so gentle and yet seemingly contrasting. Shades of black and white surprisingly settling in each other and yet still showing their individual prowess.Indeed the power of quiet synergy.

Her nose was a well sculpted piece of art. The very artifact that took the breath of the breath away.

.... Sometimes I just sigh and wonder. I knew I wanted to see more. So I lighted a candle.

And the flickers....

They revealed her calmly undulating facial features, and with every twitch and blink I saw a new dimension of her beauty.

Her quiet smile revealed a perfectly beautiful set of teeth that complemented themselves with her unassuming dimples. Like the first rays of the morning sun that etched it's calming presence into the most serene parts of your soul, they formed the most beautiful indentations I have ever seen.

I smiled as I took her face in once more.

One small pimple here....another one there.

Oh no.... How could this be ???

I thought she was supposed to be the perfect perfection in the perfectionist perception.

But she smiled once more... Yeah that smile and it reminded me that ... That imperfection added more beauty to what the perfectionist saw as not so perfect.

It wasn't just a mark, it was a quiet symbol that engraved only the grit that she could tell of.

...Her skin black....brown or somewhere in between. Slightly littered with soft strands of hair.

By this time, I was too dazed to look away.

I blinked once, twice, thrice. But who was she.... I wondered.

SHE

WAS

AN

AFRICAN WOMAN

Indeed the essence of the quintessence of beauty. A woman in her own accord, defying the standards of beauty.

THE PRIDE OF HER NATION

THE JOY OF HER HOME

Not just a MOTHER or DAUGHTER or SISTER

Not even that daily CORPORATE WOMAN that we all look up to

No...Today she's just A WOMAN

An AFRICAN WOMAN

The crux of our culture

The core of our beliefs.

YES SHE'S A WOMAN

AND SHE'S AFRICAN

© Phoebe Nhyira Kwapong-Anyan (2026)