Seagull

What have you learned Seagull?
Have you learned how to love the wind
and rolling sea
or do you weary of your freedom
storms blowing--
of survival. Do you fly alone?

Do you tire of your role as Symbol
of Christ
of sacrifice
of loss and pain

mistaken for an Albatross
a weary evangelist
flying nest-to-nest-to-nest
instead of door to door

water wearing away
your resistance over time
washing over you
without a marker or sign.

Suffering through More Suffrage

Suffering Through More Suffrage

10/10/2020

Back in 2013 two friends who shared

An October birthday put an ad in the Classified section

Of Poetry Magazine calling for like-minded

Women to form a political action group

That wanted to change the world—

Again.

They were living in a homeless shelter

And took up a collection from their meager means

To purchase the ad and changing the world

Gave them something to do between

Dinner chores

Bathroom duty

Housing search

Hopeless job interviews

Recovering from addictions and battering

By husbands, boyfriends and society

Being raped and thrown from vans

Naked and high into Stop n Shop parking lots at 3am

One woman actually saying these words

Well if you put yourself in that situation—

Someone read a statistic in a local paper

That stated Female registered voters outnumbered

Male registered voters 2 to 1 and 20% of male voters

Will vote for female politicians

Regardless of their preferences, politics,

Policies or character. Armed

With only their passion and this misinformation

They decided to take over the government

Of the most powerful country in the world.

In the beginning they drew up fliers with only scrap paper,

Crayons, and glue as this was all they possessed.

They evangelized on buses, at church, and

At the railroad station. Somehow the word caught on.

At first a nebulous crowd formed by word-of-mouth

In unused public spaces bringing women

From all walks of life—businesswomen, housewives,

Homeless, activists reliving their glory days

Of student protests in the 1960’s and the

Occupy movement of the early 21^st century

But this time slowly a clear leader emerged

From the mist willing to take the heat

Even with kids at home and a husband

Who allowed her to do whatever she wanted

As long as dinner was on the table by 5

And his needs were met.

Finally they had a candidate

And it took 7 years but they eventually took over

The government but another less idealistic

More opportunistic group

Rose to challenge them and stole the election

In Florida and won and instead of reform

Of corrupt social programs and systems

They abolished them altogether

Threw adulteress women in jail for life

Shouting Jez- e – bel! Jez- e – bel! Go to hell!

Made abortion illegal and thousands

Of women unequipped for motherhood

Became burdened with unwanted, unexpected babies.

Children were forced into homeschool camps

Surrounded by barbed wire and 7 Seals

And we have gone back to an age of ignorance

And repression no one alive can remember.

Found on old newsprint

Riverhead County Correctional Center