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 More“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
Many 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.
Purpose of a woman?
Childbearing, of course.
There must be something else.
Of course. Childrearing.
I was having chest pains today. No, this isn’t a bid for sympathy, it’s just what led me to think about something I hadn’t given much thought to in years. Once upon a time…don’t all good stories start with once upon a time?...in the deep dark ages when car radios were only AM/FM and social media was not yet a thing, I worked as a disability examiner, making decisions who got Social Security disability, and who didn’t. Heart conditions were a frequent complaint for individuals seeking disability, but not a particularly easy way to get on the rolls (hint: there really isn’t an easy way, in spite of all the anecdotes about all the people claiming disability when they are as able as you or me).
Read MoreA voice sings alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
A voice weeps alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
A voice scream alone in the darkness;
No one hears.
If you’ve ever had to ask someone for money, you probably know how humiliating it is. You dread the moment. You stand with deference and respect, hoping they won’t say no, hoping they won’t mock or deride you. You don’t feel comfortable in your own skin. It’s one of the worst things you can face.
Read More“Call me Maude, for I am the executioner!” I brandished the mop like a sword, and swung it in his direction.
Read MoreWhen a man beats a
Woman nearly to death, he
Too often goes free.
When I was a young girl, growing up in the middle of the feminist movement, we were urged to ‘have it all’. We were served up a steady dose of television women who didn’t have it all…unless cooking, cleaning, vacuuming, and smiling is having it all. We had few role models in our storybooks, few role models in our music or movies, and for a great many of us, few role models in our schools. Still, we were told that women could have it all…just like men.
Read MoreMarriage is for the man;
He benefits from the union.
Woman loses her independence,
Her name,
Often her property.
She becomes “Mrs.”
He stays the same.
Hi. The woman in the outer office sent me to you. I wanted to talk to Mr. Disney, but she said he’s dead. How can he be dead, when he’s still making movies? Anyway, she said you were the one to speak to…I have a complaint.
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