Remembrance Day coming up shortly, where soldiers march and remember the "glory" of their service, applauded by one and all. Flag waving, cheering, teary. Medals glistening on uniforms, smart salutes, Last Post, maybe pipers in kilts blasting praise to the skies. New monuments erected, lists of the fallen and betrayed And cannons or guns fired in glory. Honouring the Dead, the Unknowns, selling red poppies to support recruitment of more such heroes. Another November 11th. Another glorification of the non-stop "wars" of men, (how many centuries now?) Another misuse of that plural noun "freedoms."
I wrote this 5 years ago and read it somewhere, the men were pissed, the women cheered and applauded but controlled themselves when they saw the men's faces. "We will Remember Them" is a common refrain on November 11th. We even have the moment of silence across the country at 11.00 a.m. in all our multiple time zones. But I remember the women.
1939 St. John's Newfoundland
I wiIl remember
Where are the monuments, the medals,
The honours and commemorations
For the women and girls who carried on,
Who birthed year after year after year after year
While husbands and lovers marched
And killed and drank and fell down
In wars for the wealthy back room boys.
Women who despaired and cried in the poverty of their existence
Who had no choice, no say, no name. But his.
Who died and were replaced. By women like them
Who birthed year after year after year after year
And worked their fingers to the bone day and night.
Who were oft times beaten. And raped.
And in their turn, watched their daughters sacrificed.
And now, they are glorified without name,
Sanctified only as a matriarchal monolith,
Sacrificial lambs, their misery forgotten,
Mere nameless footnotes.
Their struggles negated.
Their stories erased forever.
MM 10/28/2017
