I just saw this posted online. I do not know the author but I wanted to share it. Don't know why some lines printed in black and some in blue.
Lu
Women of the World Vs. Ernie
1.
This is what I know about being a woman:
My body is coursing with estrogen,
I have a uterus. My breasts fit nicely into bras
that shapes them into fashionable
things that men like to look at.
Once a month, my uterus lets go
of its contents and I bleed
for a few days.
2.
I am not immune to the stigma of the whole
thing. I read Cosmo and think:
this is what I am supposed to look like.
this is who I am.
this is what I am supposed to buy.
this is what I am supposed to eat.
It goes on like this all the time.
I buy, I eat, I apply lipstick.
3.
The single man outside the abortion
clinic stands there with his sign.
He thinks he will change some minds today
because he has god and patriarchy
and a picture of a bloody fetus,
the force of his own stupid ego
on his side.
4.
Some of the women I know have abortions.
Real abortions, not the ones on the signs.
The kind that keep them up nights
going over it over and again.
We are all powerful
and sometimes subjugated.
5.
They are my sister.
my best friend.
my next door neighbor.
The lady in line behind me
me at the grocery store-
we are in the express lane,
she has 26 items.
the check-out girl, too--
she is pissed .
myself.
Me.
6.
He says it so clearly,
You need to be ashamed.
,
of it weakness,
of yourself,
of your woman-ness.
Keep this secret,
keep your mouth shut
And your legs closed.
7.
I no longer care what his real name is—
I will call him misogyny.
Does he speak to his mother
with that mouth?
In my dreams she is washing out
his mouth with soap.
8.
This is what I want misogyny
with his sign to know:
I want what I want. I need what I need.
This body is a gift from that same god.
He gave it to me because he knew
I could be trusted.
He said to me in a prayer:
You know what to do, and when.
Written by Bridget.
Oh, dear BoxxaRoxx, I am continually amused by those anti-abortion people who think they can read God's mind, and know what God wants. Which oh so conveniently aligns with exactly what anti-abortion people want.
Posted by: Julie | Tuesday, July 28, 2009 at 07:43 PM
Thanx a whole lot, sweethearts, for deleting our post. I hope Jesus won't delete you.
Posted by: BoxxaRoxx | Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Killing a baby is MURDER! Only God has the right to say if they live or die. Not YOU. Don't play God, girly. God bless.
Posted by: BoxxaRoxx | Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 04:59 PM
Also, thank you for sharing my poem. I love your blog
Posted by: Bridget Kriner | Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 09:22 AM
Hi. I am Bridget Kriner. I wrote this poem. I am a patient advocate at Preterm in Cleveland Ohio. I came to your blog because I heard about it on the RhReality Check website.
Posted by: Bridget Kriner | Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 09:19 AM
tb, how do you know women's groups "deny the impact of abortion"? I know anti-abortion people like to say it, it comes across nicely in a sound bite, but it's not true. The impact to women would be devastating if the right to decide were taken away from us.
Posted by: Julie | Saturday, July 11, 2009 at 02:48 PM
post abortive women are stuck in the middle of the debate..you may be disgusted with the man at the clinic...I am just as disgusted at NARAl, NOW and other women's groups who deny the impact of abortion and do not speak out when they are killed or left sterile.
Posted by: tb | Tuesday, July 07, 2009 at 10:39 AM
i feel so sorry to hear this, anyway hope u bravely to adapt this situation
Posted by: Trilionwan | Friday, July 03, 2009 at 02:12 AM
Thank you for posting this, Lu. It captures so much about what it's like to be a woman, and I understand that anger - sometimes I just want to tell men to shut up and sit down, and let us women talk about it because it's none of their business. Abortion is the greatest thing ever to happen for men, who get to have what they want and pay no price for the consequences.
Yes, I have a lot of anger. And I've had the sleepless nights. And I have learned that there are so many of us out here who know what abortion is really like, all of it - pain, sorrow, regret, fear, isolation... I don't need their pictures. I saw the real thing. As far as I'm concerned, they can take their bloody pictures and...well, I think we all know what they can do with them.
Posted by: Julie Shockley | Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 05:37 AM