He.

That... man?
Thinks
he can undo what I / we have done.
I know women,
lots of them.
Who get up every morning, feed, bathe, dress and drop their kids,
and
dash to work to enable them to do all they did in the hours before.
We are smart, brash, bold, defiant.
And yet that trip to work is often a slog
through hideous leers
gestures
whistles
you can feel their eyes, just as Bruce says,
take a walk all over you -
And it
Doesn't.
Feel.
Good.
So many times I've been told to "smile" -
whether I was rushing to be on time for work or
frantically hustling back to my husband who was battling a life threatening illness in a hospital.
Been abused in ways too cliche to share.
They didn't know
didn't care
about who I was,
just wanted something for themselves to
feel good about,
be on top of,
to push around,
their feral bodies aching for a moment of thrill
before they turn to the next woman
or girl…  My Girl?
who walks on by.

And now I've got two more girls,
Young Women
Who are just stepping into their own bodies
Discovering the powers of their prowess
and teetering on the brink of discovering how they
may or may not use them,
flirting dangerously with all that we've struggled to
Shut
Down.

When I hear our First Lady
I am grateful to see a Woman who I can point to and say
YES.
SHE is what we're all talking about
and illustrates what we're so fearful of losing ~
She is our minds our bodies our intelligence.
Stay with her, follow that path
of self respect, strength and
determination.
And we have a Presidential Candidate who
has waded through the mud slung by men and women -
been subjected to their superficial judgements about her voice, her clothing, the slips she's made -
she has been mocked relentlessly for her imperfections and still fights back.
She too is a force.
No stares, no bullying nor disrespect have stood in her way -
Ever.
She's worked tirelessly
to get where she is,
today.

New Heros in hard times.

It is reassuring that last week a Poet
was honored
because we may be on the cusp of a very
Dark Age.

If only Art could save us.

How surprising, and refreshing to know  - that a committee of powerful thinkers
is celebrating an artist
who has illuminated hardships, wrong-ness, love and loss -
so decently, thoughtfully and passionately.
He will forever strike me as a romantic and a realist -
with his ruminations on war, peace, and relationships.
He has moved so many with his humanity.
I will never forget the feeling of sitting by a beach fire
blazing on a clear and cold summer night,
meditating on his words as they wafted through the crowd around me.
The message clear and empowering, even then to us as kids:
We know
what
Danger
looks like.

May these Three
and all of Us
Outshine the ugliness that is sweeping in,
hovering like smog,
and threatening to choke our children.

Our world is way too precious. (Listen)

Exhale

Made it.

Summer's moved out,
with a giant
breath.
And we got
hitched
without
a
hitch.

So many hearts to take care of in the moments
leading up...
I was worried,
so worried,
anxious and protective.
Tired, excited and nervous.

Children to handle gently,
in-laws to watch over,
new family to embrace,
old friends and my family who've been through our "all"
and kept eyes on me closely
these past eight years...
So many hearts to look after,
not to mention
my own.

But how lucky we were - Lily and I
to have Alan's family there to bravely cheer us on
as we ushered Adam's in.
And how fortunate we were - Lily and I
to have Adam's family there,
alongside Alan's
embracing this connection
and honoring its link.

Not easy for anyone,
but this crowd,
This
Crowd
Showed
Up.

So on that fair evening,
under redwoods and pines,
we got to join hands,

all of us.

Everything and everyone was fine.

And now as autumn breezes in,
casting shadows that linger and shorten our days,
I can look back and
see
how far we've come,
and relish the
gift
of
a
second chance.