by Margaret S. Mullins
Hooray for all the scruffy kids
in South Bronx public housing
Hooray for all the families
eating arroz y frijoles
Hooray for all the girls whose dads
never saw them in their prom dresses
Hooray for all the moms hanging IV's
and carrying bedpans full of shit
Hooray for all the diabetics
who skipped the cake and walked, walked, walked
Hooray for all the little girls
who read of Nancy Drew and dreamed
Hooray for Princeton, and for Yale
and little New York Catholic schools
Hooray for women who make the choice
to lead their lives so others might
Hooray for intellect finely honed
and empathy to compliment it.
Hooray for Sonia Sotomayor and
all of those who have her back.
Margaret S. Mullins splits her time between rural Maryland, where she writes, and downtown Baltimore, where she plays. She has worked in public health and renovation of old houses. Her writing has appeared in Loch Raven Review, Manorborn, Prairie Poetry, Chesapeake Reader, The Sun, and Welter. She is the editor of the upcoming Manorborn 2009 issue.
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