Because the time is ripe, the age is ready,
Because the world her woman's help demands,
Out of the long subjection and seclusion
Come to our field of warfare and confusion
The mother's heart and hands
Long has she stood aside, endured and waited,
While man swung forward, toiling on alone;
Now, for the weary man, so long ill-mated,
Now, for the world for which she was created,
Comes woman to her own.
From Suffrage Songs and Verses, by CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN 1911
”There'll be differences of opinion in just about every intelligence analysis that you make.
I asked a Burmese man why women, after centuries of following their men, now walk ahead. He said there were many unexploded land mines since the war.”
Robert Mueller
There are huge numbers of women running for political office this year, and this number has significantly increased over the last 2-3 years. I think it is safe to say that it is because women globally are beginning to realize that if they want change, they need to take control. Just like the suffragettes in Victorian times, women have rebelled yet again to take ultimate control of their lives, their careers, their environment and in government. It’s not just the abortion- rights activists or the “hard core feminists", or the “Right or Left wing activists”, it’s every day women from all walks of life who are fed up with the status quo.
The Metoo movement has helped to spear-head this surge forward, as women address, head on, the sexual abuse they have experienced while on the job, in social settings and even within families and the church.
Tarana Burke, who founded the #METOO movement said,
“We need a complete cultural transformation if we are to eradicate sexual assault in our lifetimes. It means we must build our families differently, engage our communities and confront some of our long-held assumptions about ourselves.”
(www.metoomvmt.org )
It seems that since the founding of the Metoo Movement, there has been a domino effect, and women have become emboldened to come forward about their abuse, and that we are fast approaching a cultural reckoning unlike anything we have experienced before in Western society. Not that sexual harassment is limited to men against women; but it is true to say that for long standing cultural reasons, women have not come forward for fear of retribution; losing their promotion, being ridiculed, being fired, being bullied. As a cumulative result of the Metoo movement, other social media initiatives, the internet, and better education, women are finding their voice and speaking up.
It is also true to say that there are other cultures, other societies, where women continue to be undervalued, regarded by "patriarchal" societies as inferior, and by default, are more susceptible to sexual abuse.
Throughout history men in society have gone to great lengths to exclude women from public life, to strip her of her power, and to undermine her identity. Women have been, (and in some cultures still are,) identified only by their heritage, their home making capabilities, or by to-whom they are married. In many cultures, even her sexuality is held hostage, either by enforced dress, by female genital mutilation, or by strict and cruel punishment, ( like stoning).
Women have been in a state of unrest for many years, and some men have made light of our aspirations to be respected and valued, as illustrated in this tongue in cheek excerpt by Edgar Guest:
Here’s to the men! Since Adam’s time
They’ve always been the same;
Whenever anything goes wrong,
The woman is to blame.
From early morn to late at night,
The men fault-finders are;
They blame us if they oversleep,
Or if they miss a car.
They blame us if, beneath the bed,
Their collar buttons roll;
They blame us if the fire is out
Or if there is no coal.
They blame us if they cut themselves
While shaving, and they swear
That we’re to blame if they decide
To go upon a tear.
Edgar Guest
So we have a great wave of enlightenment happening; a great wave of assertion against sexual misconduct, an exposure of our inappropriate behavior as humans towards each other.
In the last two years, recent headlines have reported over 70 allegations of sexual harassment by Hollywood, sports stars and TV celebrities.
In early October 2017, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed or assaulted multiple women over decades. Paul Haggis, 64, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who wrote "Million Dollar Baby" and directed "Crash," has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least five women. Garrison Keillor, the former host and creator of "A Prairie Home Companion," was fired by Minnesota Public Radio over "allegations of his inappropriate behavior “, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Dustin Hoffman, George HW Bush, James Toback, are just a handful of names recently accused of sexual misconduct.
During the 2018 Oscars, many of our favorite stars, men and women, wore black to support the Time’s up movement, to support equality in the work place, to decry sexual harassment, and to bring attention to a new level of solidarity in Hollywood. Opportunities for more female producers, more minority actors and actresses, not just “token” representation, were addressed.
Even our own president is not above suspicion..
“It is hard to reconcile that Harvey Weinstein could be brought down with this, and yet President Trump just continues to be the Teflon Don,”
said Jessica Leeds, who claims she was groped 30 years ago on a plane by the man whose presence she cannot escape now that he sits in the Oval Office.”
#WASHINGTON POST
Monica Lewinsky recently admitted in an interview with #Vanity Fair that despite bravely taking some responsibility for her role in the relationship with Bill Clinton, it was a “Gross abuse of Power” which contributed to the entire scandal; one born of power -play and her own vulnerability at age19.
Until men are willing to discuss what has been considered to be “locker room Banter and behavior“ and address it head on, we are not there yet.
Even the Catholic church is still struggling with accusations of sexual abuse. Pope Francis recently sent an envoy to Chile to investigate a priest who has allegedly been practicing pedophilia. Despite his apparent blind spot to this particular offender, it is troublesome to learn that it is common practice for Mothers in Italy to warn their children never to be alone with a Priest. In fact, over the years, the Catholic church has denied and disguised abuse, and managed to whitewash even the smelliest of their laundry.
Then a well-meaning Warbler let Tweet from his tongue,
“The Cuckoo was witnessed molesting its’ young”
The flock it fell silent, and surrounded the fowl,
Who showed no remorse, with a sulk and a scowl,
They disguised him in feathers to look like a Pheasant,
and he skulked away,
Smelling clean, and quite pleasant.
From The Pope and the Cardinal, WomensVoice1 2013
Because the world her woman's help demands,
Out of the long subjection and seclusion
Come to our field of warfare and confusion
The mother's heart and hands
Long has she stood aside, endured and waited,
While man swung forward, toiling on alone;
Now, for the weary man, so long ill-mated,
Now, for the world for which she was created,
Comes woman to her own.
From Suffrage Songs and Verses, by CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN 1911
”There'll be differences of opinion in just about every intelligence analysis that you make.
I asked a Burmese man why women, after centuries of following their men, now walk ahead. He said there were many unexploded land mines since the war.”
Robert Mueller
There are huge numbers of women running for political office this year, and this number has significantly increased over the last 2-3 years. I think it is safe to say that it is because women globally are beginning to realize that if they want change, they need to take control. Just like the suffragettes in Victorian times, women have rebelled yet again to take ultimate control of their lives, their careers, their environment and in government. It’s not just the abortion- rights activists or the “hard core feminists", or the “Right or Left wing activists”, it’s every day women from all walks of life who are fed up with the status quo.
The Metoo movement has helped to spear-head this surge forward, as women address, head on, the sexual abuse they have experienced while on the job, in social settings and even within families and the church.
Tarana Burke, who founded the #METOO movement said,
“We need a complete cultural transformation if we are to eradicate sexual assault in our lifetimes. It means we must build our families differently, engage our communities and confront some of our long-held assumptions about ourselves.”
(www.metoomvmt.org )
It seems that since the founding of the Metoo Movement, there has been a domino effect, and women have become emboldened to come forward about their abuse, and that we are fast approaching a cultural reckoning unlike anything we have experienced before in Western society. Not that sexual harassment is limited to men against women; but it is true to say that for long standing cultural reasons, women have not come forward for fear of retribution; losing their promotion, being ridiculed, being fired, being bullied. As a cumulative result of the Metoo movement, other social media initiatives, the internet, and better education, women are finding their voice and speaking up.
It is also true to say that there are other cultures, other societies, where women continue to be undervalued, regarded by "patriarchal" societies as inferior, and by default, are more susceptible to sexual abuse.
Throughout history men in society have gone to great lengths to exclude women from public life, to strip her of her power, and to undermine her identity. Women have been, (and in some cultures still are,) identified only by their heritage, their home making capabilities, or by to-whom they are married. In many cultures, even her sexuality is held hostage, either by enforced dress, by female genital mutilation, or by strict and cruel punishment, ( like stoning).
Women have been in a state of unrest for many years, and some men have made light of our aspirations to be respected and valued, as illustrated in this tongue in cheek excerpt by Edgar Guest:
Here’s to the men! Since Adam’s time
They’ve always been the same;
Whenever anything goes wrong,
The woman is to blame.
From early morn to late at night,
The men fault-finders are;
They blame us if they oversleep,
Or if they miss a car.
They blame us if, beneath the bed,
Their collar buttons roll;
They blame us if the fire is out
Or if there is no coal.
They blame us if they cut themselves
While shaving, and they swear
That we’re to blame if they decide
To go upon a tear.
Edgar Guest
So we have a great wave of enlightenment happening; a great wave of assertion against sexual misconduct, an exposure of our inappropriate behavior as humans towards each other.
In the last two years, recent headlines have reported over 70 allegations of sexual harassment by Hollywood, sports stars and TV celebrities.
In early October 2017, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed or assaulted multiple women over decades. Paul Haggis, 64, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who wrote "Million Dollar Baby" and directed "Crash," has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least five women. Garrison Keillor, the former host and creator of "A Prairie Home Companion," was fired by Minnesota Public Radio over "allegations of his inappropriate behavior “, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Dustin Hoffman, George HW Bush, James Toback, are just a handful of names recently accused of sexual misconduct.
During the 2018 Oscars, many of our favorite stars, men and women, wore black to support the Time’s up movement, to support equality in the work place, to decry sexual harassment, and to bring attention to a new level of solidarity in Hollywood. Opportunities for more female producers, more minority actors and actresses, not just “token” representation, were addressed.
Even our own president is not above suspicion..
“It is hard to reconcile that Harvey Weinstein could be brought down with this, and yet President Trump just continues to be the Teflon Don,”
said Jessica Leeds, who claims she was groped 30 years ago on a plane by the man whose presence she cannot escape now that he sits in the Oval Office.”
#WASHINGTON POST
Monica Lewinsky recently admitted in an interview with #Vanity Fair that despite bravely taking some responsibility for her role in the relationship with Bill Clinton, it was a “Gross abuse of Power” which contributed to the entire scandal; one born of power -play and her own vulnerability at age19.
Until men are willing to discuss what has been considered to be “locker room Banter and behavior“ and address it head on, we are not there yet.
Even the Catholic church is still struggling with accusations of sexual abuse. Pope Francis recently sent an envoy to Chile to investigate a priest who has allegedly been practicing pedophilia. Despite his apparent blind spot to this particular offender, it is troublesome to learn that it is common practice for Mothers in Italy to warn their children never to be alone with a Priest. In fact, over the years, the Catholic church has denied and disguised abuse, and managed to whitewash even the smelliest of their laundry.
Then a well-meaning Warbler let Tweet from his tongue,
“The Cuckoo was witnessed molesting its’ young”
The flock it fell silent, and surrounded the fowl,
Who showed no remorse, with a sulk and a scowl,
They disguised him in feathers to look like a Pheasant,
and he skulked away,
Smelling clean, and quite pleasant.
From The Pope and the Cardinal, WomensVoice1 2013
Screen shot from my audio visual poetry book, The Moon of Compassion
How sick we are, despite our so-called evolutionary abilities.
In a recent Tweet, the eloquent Jacqueline E. Lawton, poet, writer, Playwright, heralded the Metoo movement with a short, but poignant poem beginning: ( I quote,)
“There is a song of Me Too,
Being heralded across the land
Truths laid bare
A battle cry fit for a nation”
We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
My own unfortunate experience with sexual abuse as a child by a Fireman have plagued me for years, and there is no denying that I have been effected in my relationships as an adult. And so I echo“ Metoo”, to all the women out there. When I was a child I was terrified to question an adult’s behavior, because I was taught to respect, and to a degree, fear authority.
The perpetrator is dead now, but looking back, I should have fought back a long time ago.
In 2013 surgery kept me at home for three months. During that time I wrote a lot of poetry dedicated to social change, decrying terrorism, bullying, and sexual abuse, and other issues surrounding social change. It was poetry meant to be spoken out loud, produced along with audio recordings and illustrations.
I quote now from one of my older poems entitled,
The time is near;
Anoint the nourishment men take
Do it now
For mankind's sake
Can you see?
Can you hear?
A gentle rumble drawing near
No longer is it "Eye for eye"
"Change your world"
Your battle cry!
Excerpt from Time is near, by Womensvoice1, 2013
You only have to Google #METOO , and the number of evocative poems spewing from the lips of women owning their anger about their experiences with abuse will hit you in the face from #YouTube;
recordings from SLAM poetry competitions and open Mic nights.
As Cecelia Doe tweeted in her recent #Metoo“ thread,
“It’s a sad thought;
I’d be more surprised to see
Someone write,
“NOT ME “
Too often over the years, women have blamed themselves for their own victimization, because they have been taught to feel shame by societal norms, church teachings or their family. Amy Grant turns that shame around in her song about a sexually abused child..
Where did He go in the middle of her shame? I see her as a little girl
Hiding in her room
She takes another bath
And she sprays her mama's perfume
To try to wipe away
The scent he left behind
But it haunts her mind
You see, she's his little rag
Nothing more than just a waif
And he's mopping up his need
She is tired and afraid
Maybe she'll find a way
Through these awful years
To disappear
Ask me if I think there's a God up in the Heaven
I see no mercy, and no one down here's naming names
Nobody's naming names
Amy Grant
In her song “Quarterback”, Kira Isabella, a Canadian country singer, brings to light the all too familiar tale of rape on campus, especially during Freshman years and hazing rituals.
It was Friday night and the lights were shinning
Everyone was sitting in the stands
He was being scouted by a big time college
She played trumpet in the marching band
In the parking lot, when the game was over
She had a bus to ride
When he pulled up in his buddy's truck
And the door swung open wide
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
How do you explain the star of the game
And the no name girl from the freshman class
She got out at a bonfire party
Never had a drink before
But he held it to her lips and she took her first sip
And before she knew it, she had three more
She always heard that a girls first time,
Is a memory she'll never forget
She found out the hard way about love
When she saw those pictures on the internet
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
Who you gonna blame the star of the game
Or the no name girl in the freshman class
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
Who you gonna blame, the star of the game
Or the no name girl in the marching band
Kira Isabella - Quarterback – YouTube
In her song, “Sullen Girl”, Fiona Apple describes the inner feelings of a young woman who cannot disguise her depression and feelings of loss after rape and abuse.
Is that why they call me a sullen girl, sullen girl
They don't know I used to sail the deep and tranquil sea
But he washed me 'shore
And he took my pearl
And left an empty shell of me
And there's too much going on
But it's calm under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
It's calm under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
And Rhiannon Gidden's evocative lyrics to At the Puchaser’s option, proudly declares:
I've got a body dark and strong
I was young but not for long
You took me to bed a little girl
Left me in a woman's world
You can take my body
You can take my bones
You can take my blood
But not my soul
How sick we are, despite our so-called evolutionary abilities.
In a recent Tweet, the eloquent Jacqueline E. Lawton, poet, writer, Playwright, heralded the Metoo movement with a short, but poignant poem beginning: ( I quote,)
“There is a song of Me Too,
Being heralded across the land
Truths laid bare
A battle cry fit for a nation”
We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
My own unfortunate experience with sexual abuse as a child by a Fireman have plagued me for years, and there is no denying that I have been effected in my relationships as an adult. And so I echo“ Metoo”, to all the women out there. When I was a child I was terrified to question an adult’s behavior, because I was taught to respect, and to a degree, fear authority.
The perpetrator is dead now, but looking back, I should have fought back a long time ago.
In 2013 surgery kept me at home for three months. During that time I wrote a lot of poetry dedicated to social change, decrying terrorism, bullying, and sexual abuse, and other issues surrounding social change. It was poetry meant to be spoken out loud, produced along with audio recordings and illustrations.
I quote now from one of my older poems entitled,
The time is near;
Anoint the nourishment men take
Do it now
For mankind's sake
Can you see?
Can you hear?
A gentle rumble drawing near
No longer is it "Eye for eye"
"Change your world"
Your battle cry!
Excerpt from Time is near, by Womensvoice1, 2013
You only have to Google #METOO , and the number of evocative poems spewing from the lips of women owning their anger about their experiences with abuse will hit you in the face from #YouTube;
recordings from SLAM poetry competitions and open Mic nights.
As Cecelia Doe tweeted in her recent #Metoo“ thread,
“It’s a sad thought;
I’d be more surprised to see
Someone write,
“NOT ME “
Too often over the years, women have blamed themselves for their own victimization, because they have been taught to feel shame by societal norms, church teachings or their family. Amy Grant turns that shame around in her song about a sexually abused child..
Where did He go in the middle of her shame? I see her as a little girl
Hiding in her room
She takes another bath
And she sprays her mama's perfume
To try to wipe away
The scent he left behind
But it haunts her mind
You see, she's his little rag
Nothing more than just a waif
And he's mopping up his need
She is tired and afraid
Maybe she'll find a way
Through these awful years
To disappear
Ask me if I think there's a God up in the Heaven
I see no mercy, and no one down here's naming names
Nobody's naming names
Amy Grant
In her song “Quarterback”, Kira Isabella, a Canadian country singer, brings to light the all too familiar tale of rape on campus, especially during Freshman years and hazing rituals.
It was Friday night and the lights were shinning
Everyone was sitting in the stands
He was being scouted by a big time college
She played trumpet in the marching band
In the parking lot, when the game was over
She had a bus to ride
When he pulled up in his buddy's truck
And the door swung open wide
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
How do you explain the star of the game
And the no name girl from the freshman class
She got out at a bonfire party
Never had a drink before
But he held it to her lips and she took her first sip
And before she knew it, she had three more
She always heard that a girls first time,
Is a memory she'll never forget
She found out the hard way about love
When she saw those pictures on the internet
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
Who you gonna blame the star of the game
Or the no name girl in the freshman class
He was the quarterback
Smile at her, imagine that
Who you gonna blame, the star of the game
Or the no name girl in the marching band
Kira Isabella - Quarterback – YouTube
In her song, “Sullen Girl”, Fiona Apple describes the inner feelings of a young woman who cannot disguise her depression and feelings of loss after rape and abuse.
Is that why they call me a sullen girl, sullen girl
They don't know I used to sail the deep and tranquil sea
But he washed me 'shore
And he took my pearl
And left an empty shell of me
And there's too much going on
But it's calm under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
Under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
It's calm under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion
And Rhiannon Gidden's evocative lyrics to At the Puchaser’s option, proudly declares:
I've got a body dark and strong
I was young but not for long
You took me to bed a little girl
Left me in a woman's world
You can take my body
You can take my bones
You can take my blood
But not my soul
My newest poem, written this year is dedicated to all those who have fallen victim to the gross abuse of power, no matter when, in their lives.
“Me too” as she whispered the gross abuse of power
In the hour
Before the promotion
The leading part
Consideration for a position
A Freshman, a hazing
A brave admission
A revelation of truth
The record label or
The Olympic training
Women are re-appraising their past
I get the notion of a Domino effect
As we straighten tall with new self-respect
And rip the blinkers from our eyes
We realize the lies and neglect of truth
Often waking in the presence of a perpetrator from our youth
Or a haunting that effects our relationship with sex
For years the putrid stew has simmered
And now builds a bubbling cultural crescendo
Rumbling like thunder, gathering strength and becoming
A lightening cry
No longer an innuendo
“Me too”!
travels across the sky
As we unify
And claim our absolute touch down
”Me too” ,
“Time’s up!”
No longer a whisper
No longer a missed goal
““Me too ! “ becomes a leveling reality
From which we can own change
Enough is enough!
During the Womens March 2018
Halsey read her powerful poem from her iphone to the hungry crowd of listeners.
So powerful it was that it could be THE Metoo poem of all time.
Take your time to #google the link and watch her read it.
From “ A story like mine”
"What do you mean, this happened to me?
I'm supposed to be safe now.
I earned it. It's 2018,
and I've realized that nobody is safe 'long as she is alive,
and every friend that I know has a story like mine,
and the world tells me we should take it as a compliment.
It's Olympians and a medical resident and not one f*cking word from the man who is president.
It's about closed doors and secrets and legs and stilettos,
from the Hollywood Hills to the projects and ghettos …
Listen, and then yell at the top of your lungs.
Be a voice for all those who have prisoner tongues."
Halsey 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKddxONWn78
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven’t posted in a while.
Mum died just before Christmas
I had been in England taking care of her and Dad for a good six weeks prior, and had left to come back to the States, feeling that she was doing well.
Unfortunately she died suddenly after a brief hospital admission, and I returned for her Memorial service in January of this year.
I have been uninspired and my creativity flattened by my grief and sorrow, and so it has taken some time to regain a momentum of sorts.
I offer this to you as an excuse for my silence, and to wish you all the strength to love yourselves and your loved ones, moving forward in a healthier world.
In the words of Annie Lennox,
Hold your head up movin' on, keep your head up movin' on
Hold your head up movin' on, keep your head up
Mum died just before Christmas
I had been in England taking care of her and Dad for a good six weeks prior, and had left to come back to the States, feeling that she was doing well.
Unfortunately she died suddenly after a brief hospital admission, and I returned for her Memorial service in January of this year.
I have been uninspired and my creativity flattened by my grief and sorrow, and so it has taken some time to regain a momentum of sorts.
I offer this to you as an excuse for my silence, and to wish you all the strength to love yourselves and your loved ones, moving forward in a healthier world.
In the words of Annie Lennox,
Hold your head up movin' on, keep your head up movin' on
Hold your head up movin' on, keep your head up
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