Until Your Turn May Come

I wrote this little piece when I understood the measures of stoicism and courage that women generally have, and the sacrifices that women so often do, because men do not. It was painfully apparent to me how unfair life has been and still is to women around the world. And I am not talking about your wife or your mother. Chances are, if you are a man in a relatively developed country that you are somewhat on par with women - equalitywise.

I am talking about women in the world who deal with shit, when the shit has already hit the fan, meshed through it, and spray painted your comfy living room. I am talking about the millions of women in the world who deal with being knocked up when they're young, and then live out their lives worrying, working until their backs break to provide, and dying without a shred of something to call their own.

Have you guys ever heard of Grameen Bank. The organization that supplies microcredits for women in Bangladesh and a few other countries. They won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Basically it is a small scale credit giving system which an astounding amount of women primarily in Asia make use of - using the few bucks they get to start up small scale sustainable businesses in agriculture or cattle - selling the produce and providing for their close ones first. Not only that, they repay the money incredibly quickly. The male recipients of these loans are few, and default on them much more often. I'm not going to get all sanctimonious on your asses about men being generally lazy macho bums - but well, seems quite often that we are...

But there is hope, in the western hemisphere, some countries in particular are dim beacons of gender equality.

Anyway, here goes:

Until Your Turn May Come

there is no coming of women, woman
arch your body, cry out to all skies:
that grove and field of strife alike
hold equal measures howling pain
and cupped hands abrim with
murderous grace

you will not be reborn
but your daughter’s daughters
brandy legged flotsam
waves of frenzied drum
will on and on
until your turn may come