by Bonnie Proudfoot
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| Image by James Housand via Shutterstock |
Goddam the boss’ hands,
the father’s tantrums,
the mother’s tears, goddam
the glass ceiling, the broken
feeling, the casting couch
and teacher’s pet, the face
slap, the butt pat, Phyllis Schlaffly
and June Cleaver, goddam
the eyes that stared at my
chest when I gave it my best,
the shoulder shrug, the what’s
it to you, the quid pro quo, the
that’s how it go, the go along
to get along, the pecking order,
the firing line, the patronizing,
the patriarchy, the aspirations,
the late ratifications, just
pass the damn Equal Rights
Amendment, and then
for the love of Gloria, Betty,
Bella, Shirley, and Dolly,
enforce the damn thing.
Bonnie Proudfoot used to read MS magazine as soon as it came out every month for free in the bookstore in the student union at the University of Buffalo. She pretended she was browsing. It was life-changing.