People dream. Some people dream big. For most people, those dreams won’t come true, or will only partially come true. The bigger you dream, the more likely those dreams will not come true. The vast majority of us lead mediocre, ordinary lives, but we like to think of ourselves as extraordinary. In short, we want to be the hero of our story.
Read More“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
With only one more day to go, I decided to try something I haven’t tried before. Could I tell a story in haiku? I have seen it done, but can I do it? I’ll try anything once…sometimes I fail, but in this case, what have I lost? Time, of course, because I’ll still need to write something. But I was game to try. So here it is, a story told in Haiku.
Read MoreThe news was full of the horror; there are more women going to college than men! The number of men going to college is down! This is a tragedy…we need to do something, because the way we teach is geared toward women, and not the right way for men. Oh, yes, I’m sure you’ve heard it. Panic in the streets, in the statehouses, in the newspapers and on social media, and everywhere else. Men are falling behind. I decided it was time to do a little research, see if I could figure out why. I was sure it wasn’t the teaching; there are all sorts of classes taught in all sorts of styles, and if one style didn’t work for men, there would probably be another that would. Besides, I refuse to believe that men are all alike, all barely literate brutes who can’t sit in a classroom and learn.
Read MoreThe governor looked up from his paperwork; his aide was waiting, hands at his sides, wanting to speak to him. “Well?” he growled.
“Sorry to bother you, sir”, the aide mumbled. “The riots…they’re…right in front of the capitol. We gotta do something.”
Read MoreEdges.
Edges of time,
Of space
Of reality.
Women have a right
To be who they want to be.
Get over yourself.
A woman stands up for herself.
She will be called
Destiny called my name.
I answered…I was ready.
I worked, I studied.
I followed the rules.
He hesitated. Everyone told him she was beautiful, but he knew his friends. They would send him out with a porcupine if they could get one to go out with him. He didn’t trust them. Still, the refrain kept running through his head – 36C. Whenever he asked about her, that was what they told him. 36C, they said. She’s 36C. It might be worth a chance. Even a porcupine might be a worthy date with such measurements. He entered the apartment building, his step lighter. He would get lucky tonight, he was sure of it.
Read MoreYesterday I wrote about some amazing women, women who made large contributions to knowledge and human well being, but no one knew their names. Today I want to continue the conversation. This time I want to talk about my own role models, women I have known who showed me a path toward accomplishing more than I could dream about. I will not address the women by name; they are not public figures, and I will respect their privacy, instead just giving them initials.
Read MoreI want to talk about some amazing women; you may have heard of some or all of these women. You may have heard of none of them. Their accomplishments have not been the highlight of the media, though many of them are beginning to get some notice in recent years. I want to start with a woman I admire greatly.
Read MoreShe had a date.
She’s a tramp.
Nothing happened.
She’s frigid.
On a cold, sunny Saturday, I decided it was time to write another play. .As a playwright, I feel like I should write plays every now and then, otherwise, how could I be a playwright? So today, I give you a play about a situation that was all too common all too recently. If you are interested more in this topic, may I suggest the book The Woman They Could not Silence by Kate Moore? It’s quite interesting, and well written. Oh, well, here I am recommending other women’s writing rather than posting my own. So, for your reading pleasure, The Bath.
Read MoreThe environment is in trouble. We all know that, even those who won’t admit it. For centuries, humans have altered the natural systems to suit them; now, they may have started the process of their own demise by altering the environment so much it will no longer support them. You may wonder what this has to do with Women’s History Month. Fair enough. It is my belief that the damage to the environment is intimately bound in with misogyny and women. In fact, they are so inextricably bound together they cannot be separated.
Read MoreDarlene had tears in her eyes; she could barely see the stage through her cataracts, but she could hear the applause. This was her big moment, even if she was the only one who knew it. All around her, audience members stood, clapping their hands raw for the play she wrote. She hadn’t expected that…she never knew she could accomplish anything so…beautiful.
Read MoreNothing.
What is nothing?
Jordan stared at the bewildering array of bottles. She picked one up to read the label, but it was written in science. She didn’t understand. She closed her eyes, grabbed a bottle, and headed to the counter. The girl who checked her out stared at the bottle as if it were a snake. “You’re going to take this?”
Read MoreThe girls crouched behind their desks, staring at the door. Ms. Albee stood next to the door, ready to deal with any attacker, keep them away from her class. This school was the last refuge for girls wanting an education. The country shut down the last school that accepted females about six months ago, and now she remained the only thing between these girls and a life of being married to a man they didn’t love…if they were lucky, he wouldn’t beat them.
Read MoreBeing born female
Challenged my coping skills.
I never knew anything else
But I never wanted to role I was taught.
Time drifts away.
Wrinkles stay.
Years of ironing,
But the wrinkles get worse.
She can’t iron out the wrinkles
On her face.