Dear Susan B.*

Dear Susan,

B. 'At the knee'

Lifting up your sisters

In the Light for their rights.

Here's just

A dissonant note:

As we face up to you

Of the iron jaw

And piercing eyes,

We hope you won't mind a bit

Of ribbing (yes, we know

We have an equal number)

Because we can't be serious

Or we'll repeat that shortest of verses--

Man wept.

We do have a little good news

For you:

In some places now women

Have reached beyond your farthest star;

(Yes, you have come a long ways, baby!)

Why we even have a Hillary who is seeking

To reach the 'ever-most' peak

In America, setting a new 'precedent.'   
                                    

And women have become astronauts

Going way up…

Well, we don't want to disappoint

You about that…

And many women in the West live free

Though the ERA was denied them

By governing men.

(We don't want to skirt around

The issue of who still wears the pants

Belted around most of the planet.)

Men in the East--

Where man first took the fall

In the garden by blaming woman----

Still try to obscure her glory

And beauty covering her

Under the darkest cloth, while

They dream of 75 of their own

By dying in their killing…

But even in the West

Some men still see women as

Pieces of... property, things

For rapping and rappelling,

And telling the female

Dogs to get out of here…

(A man wept).

They no longer talk of getting a lady,

But getting laid is still in vogue.

Many women are more rich with

Rights than ever, but porno—

From Paris east around to Britain y--

Is where the buck starts for

Internet fallen men.

Very few of the heavenly paradox

Left: virgin wilder ms.

Oh Susan, if we could

Only have you back

To lead US all…

We do cry for you;

(A man wept).

From your Friends

*Susan B. Anthony

Friend, 19th Century Human Rights Advocate

Daniel E. Wilcox

Published in Erbacce

Spring 2008

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