The Shamed Woman

She saunters in unbidden Burning hot as hell fire Her water as pure as the driven snow Her scent like a warm summer breeze Men love her with a passion Women loath her with a vengeance Children whisper about her in dark corners For she is deemed forbidden fruit She is the shamed woman A crown she wears unapologetically Dare you not utter her name they say Lest you fall prey to her charms Slowly she rises to her feet As she smiles to herself Not in anger, but in endearment Because only she knows These people that shame her She bore life to their multitudes They are her children - And she, their mother