All my life I heard
How smart you were.
You knew so much,
Or so it seemed.
You could spout facts
Like a whale spouts water.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
Zoe applauded the loudest as Blaze walked across the stage and received his diploma. He worked for this day; she worked for this day. She was happy to support him, and glad that now he would start a new job and would be able to support her while she went to school. They made the deal the day they got engaged. “Fair is fair”, he said. She agreed. Now there he was, looking so smart in his mortarboard and gown, the honors sash draped across his chest like a beacon. She wanted to elbow the person next to her and tell them about his new job, an offer coming before he even finished.
Read MoreThe man was staring at her legs; even in the crowd, Donna could feel his eyes burning. She turned and glared at him; he grinned and gave her a thumbs up. “I definitely approve”, he mouthed. She turned her back, aware of him following, not sure it was safe for her to leave the crowded street and turn to her own street, a quiet, tree-lined residential street. Her neighbors were likely still at work. She wasn’t sure if they’d be much help anyway.
Read MoreOne characteristic we frequently hear when discussing women is “domestic”. What is domestic? It simply refers to family or home. Women have long had the responsibility for domestic work, or work done in the home. They have taken care of the home, the cooking, the cleaning, and the child rearing. This is nothing new; we all know that. For me, I am firmly locked in domesticity denialism.
Read MoreIn high school, I hated PE. Of course, nearly everyone hates PE, but some of us hate it more than others. Part of the reason I hated PE was being female in a mixed sex class. Trying to play tennis against the boys, or golf with the boys, or anything else was hard enough for the athletic girls. For the quiet, dreamy, bookish girls, it was a nightmare.
Read MoreIf women were Dorian Gray,
Men would not look on us in scorn
For getting old.
They would not see our age,
Our faces as fresh as the day
We had the picture painted.
A couple of years ago, a playwright I know had a play performed in a local theatre. This play presented an idea that a lot of people agreed with, including a great many women. One of the characters went into great detail about how to end violence against women…give every boy a kitten. What, you ask? Well, if the boy learns to care for his kitten, he will be ready to interact with a woman. He will learn to treat her like he treats the kitten, and everyone will be happy.
Read MoreI’ve seen a lot of changes during my life, some good, some not so good. Many changes I experienced were the result of work done by the women’s movement. Thanks to the courage of the women who came before, we were able to make the changes we wanted to see...and few of us ever thought we would lose them again.
Read More I had a bad habit;
I wanted to kick the habit,
But it was so ingrained
It stuck with me
No matter what I did.
I don’t have much to say tonight. I am running down, and must have my batteries changed, or something. But I will write, and what I write tonight is a tribute to women who have made a difference throughout history. Women celebrated, and women unsung. Women who have worked to make the world better for someone, even if only for their own families, and done it without a lot of thanks. Women who have suffered abuse for their efforts, women who died for what they believed in, women who lived for what they believed in
Read MoreMany women start out strong in the business world, but fall behind. There are myriad reasons for this, though media often boils it down to “women just aren’t assertive enough”. Many anti-feminist polemics posit that women are demonstrating their innate inferiority where it comes to logic and business. Others just say it’s because women are naturally more nurturing, kinder, and gentler. Nobody really gives a damn what the actual reasons are; everyone knows their own preferred narrative, and will stick to it no matter how correct it is (or isn’t).
Read More Blender. Toaster. Range.
Dishes. Knives. Forks.
Bowls. Mixer. Oven. Spoon.
Pie plate. Cookie sheet.
Bread Machine. Microwave.
There is a conceit on the left that science is an imperialist, colonialist, western, white, male enterprise, and as such, we should stop doing it, or at least stop considering it important. I cannot possibly pick all that apart in a single essay, though many non-white, non-Western scientists have done their part to detail what an egregious insult this is. So I will deal with the male part.
Read MoreAs a woman moves,
I move.
As a woman thinks,
I think.
As a woman loves,
I love.
As a woman dreams,
I dream.
Why do I do this?
Write every day for a month,
A particular month,
The month of March.
Why?
Probably everyone who teaches has had this experience: a colleague comments to them, breathless with wonder and admiration, about how today’s youth are sooooo good at multi-tasking. They manage to switch from one tab to another to check their messages and statuses without missing a tab! I never say anything to this admiration; there isn’t anything to say. They expect you agree with them; if you don’t, just keep your mouth shut.
Read More If a woman asked you for
A letter of recommendation
On a job she does well,
You say you are tired
Of hearing me rattle on
About women.
Can’t I ever talk about something else?
You know what?
I’m tired of it, too.
It seems we agree on something.
My mother used to have a wall hanging that said “A man may work from sun to sun but woman’s work is never done”. When I was a kid, I didn’t quite understand it. I liked it, mostly because it rhymed. I think seven year olds have a natural affinity for doggerel, and it was funny to me.
Read MoreWalking home alone
After dark
On a silent street.