The Poetry of Mary K O'Melveny

Return to MUSINGS


 

I.

 

A qualified woman

Becomes a

Candidate

Designated to break

Every barrier.

Full of 

Great

Hopes,

It feels

Justly

Karmic –

Lengthening years of

Mysogyny

No longer

Overwhelming us.

Patriarchy

Quietly,

Righteously

Shifting away,

Taking

Up space only in

Very old history books

Which people will study

eXtra carefully, especially

Young women

Zealous to know their pasts.

 

II.

 

Boorish

Clown

Defeats her.

Enters the stage

Frightening

Girls and women with

Hate-filled

Invective,

Justifying

Kingdoms and Klansmen.

Laughing  and leering at

Menstrual cycles.

Never apologizing for

Ogling and groping.

Preening and prattling.

Questioning facts.

Refusing reason.

Screaming for headlines.

Taking

Umbridge even in

Victory.

What choice do we have

eXcept resistance? 

Yielding nothing.  Until he is 

Zero.

 

Washington DC

01-15-17

 

 

 This poem was first published by the Writing in a Woman's Voice blog in 2016

http://writinginawomansvoice.blogspot.com

 

Mary read it at a poetry event in DC at Bus Boys and Poets in January, 2016 which sponsored by the activist group  "Split This Rock." 


my . artist run website