Poetry

For the women who can’t choose.

When someone takes it away.

Those who watch sympathize with your situation.

Fear is a horrible weapon to be used against you.

I hope someday I can do more than just pity you.

I have a good memory.

I swear.

Just sometimes I forget where that important document is

(because I haven’t needed it for a while)

or can’t remember the next task I needed to do.

Lists and calendars are very important these days.

Without them

I probably wouldn’t get anything done.

Unless it is to tell you about some silly trivia tidbit

that has nothing to do with the situation at hand.

Our bodies need to rest.

We need the time to heal.

Yet, many of us push ourselves

and ignore the signs of lack of sleep.

Whether for work or personal reasons

We need to relearn how to sleep.

What laws are just?

Who gets to decide?

Where does society fit in?

Why are we hanging on to outrageous laws?

Sentencing a person based on criteria

that was never relevant

is what get us into trouble now.

We sometimes are spicy.

We are not always nice.

We are made individually.

No one can tell us to be sweet

If we do not wish to be.

We are the little girls

who are girls.

Not sugar and spice

or everything nice.

I do not believe I can do this.

It wasn’t the right time.

I was out of place.

No one will believe me.

Who would want to talk to me?

I’m just having a bad day.

Except,

every day is a bad day.

Choosing an outfit

Is like trying to decide

if you should wear a plastic rainsuit

or a sundress with an umbrella hat.

The criteria used

Is based on the wrong gender.

You have known for years

That something was different about you.

Your thoughts, your actions

Your decisions were based on trying to fit in.

Be normal.

Be a good citizen

And society will accept you.

But the truth is

You will never be accepted

Because you are not normal.

You know the diagnosis you should have.

Yet the physician, therapist or psychiatrist

All base your symptoms

On research that never took in to consideration

That you are female.

Not male.

We are equal

But that does not mean

We are the same.

A baseball player

Does not have the skill set to play football.

In the Halo ring above us

We wait for the signs.

Attacks come from seemingly nowhere.

Yet we all know they are coming.

So we watch and we worry

about the coming storm.

A slough of words

Spill across the headstone.

Some intended.

Some not.

The intention is clear.

The deceased could not care less.