FOR GLORIA STEINEM

by Bonnie Proudfoot

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.

AFTER THE SUPREME COURT HEARS TESTIMONY ABOUT MISSISSIPPI’S LEGISLATION RESTRICTING A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE

by Katie Kemple

Cartoon by Walt Handelsman, The Advocate

I dream I’m in an auditorium about to see

a show. To the far left, in the dark, sits

Gloria Steinem, her signature straight

hair beneath the twin stems of her aviator

glasses, so calm and beautiful. Even the host

makes eyes at her, tries to grab her attention.

On stage, they roll out a gurney, the lower

half of a woman’s body. I can't see her face.

Others gather around—men from all over

the world, a type of ceremony. I find

my mother and sit behind her, slide

my arm through the space between chairs

to interlock fingers with her. I whisper:

"Gloria is here." But my mother has been

dead for seven years. I'm afraid of what

we're about to see. It's so dark. I can't see. 

Katie Kemple (she/her) writes to make sense of the world. Her work has appeared recently on Longleaf Review, Matter, and The West Review.