Women’s Day
A Poem
How odd that half of the world, perhaps the majority have to cry out for the other half to think of us, remember us, not harm us.
How odd that after ancient histories of matriarchy, equity, and mutually beneficial relationships and roles, we are here
witnessing decades and decades of patriarchy, capitalism (aka the opposite of equity, the antithesis of justice) and imbalanced
relationships and roles. Here, where a woman speaks and has to have her thoughts validated —
confirmed, given the okay by a man. Where a woman walks and has to simultaneously see men as both
potential terrorist and potential rescuer and never know which one
is going to show up and when. Where a woman waits for silly things, still, like representation that is not exploitation,
feminism that is not corporate cooptation, spaces that actually heal and uplift the female and address
the wounds of misogyny, internalized, external, online, offline, the loss, the loss, the loss —
Sylvia said there is a charge a charge to watch our pain, to see our scars
not just a price, but an amount absolutely owed. We should start sending out bills.
©Jenny Justice. All Rights Reserved.
Jenny Justice, Poet. Author of Love in the Time of Climate Change and Reveal. You can read more of her poetry at Justice Poetic. Sign up for her newsletter here.
