Once again three old white
men will mansplain about
child care, abortion rights,
how pregnancy pratfalls
can stall a fine career.
No one questioned their
electability,
told them to lean in, smile
more. Or less. Or back off.
Be more charming. Sound less
smart. Dress up. Dress down.
Pretend their lives were not
history lessons. About
a bazillion women
know more than these guys, laugh
at their careless presumptions,
clueless, charmless speeches,
responsibility
denials. We weep too.
Because change never takes
place. It seems that pinky
promises are made to
be broken. Everyone is
so, so sorry. No one
feels like celebrating.
Mary K O'Melveny is a recently retired labor rights attorney who lives in Washington DC and Woodstock NY. Her work has appeared in various print and on-line journals. Her first poetry chapbook A Woman of a Certain Age is available from Finishing Line Press. Mary’s poetry collection Merging Star Hypotheses was published by Finishing Line Press in January, 2020.
