Equality: In Memoriam
By Joani Reese
Five decades stunned, gone mute with disbelief.
Fixed rules destroyed; religion bares its teeth.
Six judges’ force unwanted, fetal crowns
through pro tempore vaginas, MAGA-owned.
Five men conspired to sully settled law,
one last false flag claimed Roe too hot to touch
claimed lawful norms were stone, inviolate.
Judge Amy lied, fired Roe v. down to ash.
New words govern pudenda, ultrasound.
Impregnate everyone! Sinners, repent!
Ectopic pregnancies are heaven-sent,
and off forked tongues agitprop overflows.
We’re here to save the children, bless their souls.
It’s not about control of women’s wombs!
We’ll birth a million babes, a few may come
from incest or a rape that’s forced to term.
Have patience, mom, you’ll be alone again
in five short years,
grade school,
white male
a gun.
Joani Reese is a poet and writer living in Texas. Reese has been a poetry editor for THIS Magazine, Senior Poetry Editor for Connotation Press, and General Editor of MadHat Lit. Reese has won awards for her poetry and flash fiction. Her hybrid book Night Chorus was published by LitFest Press in 2015.
Photo credit: Richard Harvey via a Creative Commons license.
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