International Women’s Day Poem

When a Southern woman says, "that's alright my baby"
When Maya Angelou spoke again after being mute for 6 years.
When she grew up and taught us the meaning of a phenomenal woman.
When lesbians exchanged "goodnight" on June 26th, 2015.
When I remember Mother Teresa and I were on earth at the same time.
When Aretha Franklin sang "You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman"
When mom held me at dad's funeral.
When Rupi Kaur apologized to all the women she called pretty.
When a mother in central Gaza baked bread for her children in a warzone.
When that same mother ended her interview,
"It's a suffering I wouldn't wish upon any woman"
When you realize she is conversing with a journalist while suffering while thinking about others.
When Mary Oliver confirmed our life is the only one we can actually save.
When Martha P Johnson put on her first dress in 1950, at the age of 5.
When Amanda Gorman climbed her hill on the capitol to light way for ours.
When you see #girlhood trending on social media and immediately understand.

The world is broken, but women are constantly fixing it. This is both unfair and remarkable.

Inspiration: I come from a generational matriarch family in Southern Louisiana. My grandma, Judith Frantz, (who I called “nanny”) was the oldest of three girls. Nanny followed her mother’s footsteps and also gave birth to three girls, with the oldest being my mother. Mom had us three. I went to an all-girls high school. 80% of the faculty were women. I’m a lesbian. My biological dad passed when I was very young. My stepdad is a healthy dose of soft and masculine energy. The privilege is, I’ve been mostly exposed to women and their remarkable capacity my entire life. It’s all I ever really knew.

For all the women before me. For all the women in my life. For all the women I’ve loved. For all the women I’ve lost. For all the women I’ve yet to meet. For mom. For Em. Thank you.