Investigate, Censure, Defeat, Indict

The Misogyny Game

Come all fair-minded people of goodwill; listen closely as I sing, For the blight of prejudice and prudery is a terrible thing. It banishes fairness with the speed of a flame, And embroils millions of us in the Misogyny Game.

My name’s unimportant, but not what I've seen. My home is in America, where I have fought to restrain. The censorious, jealous and the malicious, Who day after day play the Misogyny Game.

It's been sixty years since I stood up to say Blaming and shaming women must stop right way, For I knew the lovely, loving young girls were not to blame For the hurtful and hateful nonsense of the Misogyny Game.

This culture of ours has too long been unfair. Prudery and prejudice abound everywhere. Parents, teachers, and leaders bear much of the blame. For failing to denounce and renounce the Misogyny Game.

They told us how nudity and sex were causes for shame,

Thereby infecting us with poisonous excuses for blame. They cursed women’s bodies and gave desire a bad name. Trying to make us all players in the Misogyny Game.

And now I am aged, my body's weary and infirm. I’ll try once again – women, beauty, and sex to affirm I regret not defeating those who blame and who shame. For they keep finding victims for the Misogyny Game.

https://melancholicmerrimentblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/16/misogynies/

They Are Women

They are women, hear them roar

Their numbers are too large to ignore

And they know too much to go back and pretend

Because they've heard it all before

And they've been down there on the floor

No one must push them back down there again

We know that they are wise

With a wisdom born of pain

They have paid a heavy price

And must now consolidate every gain

They can do anything

They are strong. and they are brave

They are indomitable

And nobody should enslave

A single woman

They may bend, but they won’t  break 

Pressure will only serve to make them

Them more resolute in pursuit of every goal

And they'll come back even stronger

They won’t be submissive any longer

Because of deep convictions flourish in my soul

We know that they are wise

With a wisdom born of pain

They have paid a heavy price

And must now consolidate every gain

So they don’t have to pay it twice

They can do anything

They are strong. and they are brave

They are indomitable

And nobody should enslave

Because they are women

They are woman, watch them stride

See them standing side-by-side

As they stretch their loving arms across the land

Though their work’s now well begun

It remains a long, long way from done

While we, my brothers, refuse to understand

We know that they are wise

With a wisdom born of pain

They have paid a heavy price

And must now consolidate every gain

So, they don’t have to pay it twice

They can do anything

They are strong. and they are brave

They are indomitable

And nobody should enslave

Because they are women

Oh, they are women

They are indomitable

They are strong

They are wonderful

They are inestimable

They are brave

They are beautiful

They are women!

They are women, listen to their voices roar

It is time to heed and not ignore

And they know too much to go back and pretend

Because they've heard it all before

And they've gotten off the floor

And nobody has the right to push them back down again

Photo credit: https://www.seventeen.com/life/real-girl-stories/g15391959/empowering-posters-womens-march/

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Resilience

Equality

Solidarity

Patriotism

Empowerment

Courage

Tenacity

https://www.backgroundsy.com/backgrounds/spiral-rainbow-background

Make Every Day Count

I do not wish for pathways free of obstacles

Nor views unmarred by haze or fog.

I do not seek a life of ease on a bed of roses.

I do not wish to avoid bitter pangs of doubt, sorrow, and regret,

Nor to live a life free of pain or fear.

I do not wish for any of these.

They are not what truly matters.

My wish is for courage in times of trial.

When skies darken and dread descends upon us all

And others lose heart, and burdens and blame fall on me,

May I find a quantum of resolve.

And see a ray of light amidst the gloom

When all seems lost but life itself,

May every gift life has given me flourish anew,

And may I share this blossoming with all entrusted to my care.

May I always be a friend worthy of that name.

And have in my life others who are the same.

May we abide in trust,

Supporting one another in times of sorrow,

And rejoicing together in times of joy.

May we defy the storms of life side by side.

And exemplify solidarity in word and deed,

In days of triumph and hours of need.

May my presence be a gift

That enriches the lives of all I meet

And may their presence elevate and enlighten mine.

I have but one more wish:

In every moment of every day

May I feel the worth of life and be inspired

In every hour of serenity or stress,

May I feel the truth within me:

That where there is life,

there is time, and

Where there is time,

Hope, however slight, endures!

These are my wishes for me without any pause.

And for all of us - now and while yet breath draws!

Larry Conley

08 June 2018

http://www.saryan.info/carpe-diem-seize-the-day-Quotes.html

Land of the Tree and the Home of the Knave

 

Here's to the State of Mississippi

For within its borders, evil draws no lines,

By researching its bloody history, countless atrocities you’ll find.

For the Confederacy still holds sway here; treason is heritage and bigotry is fine,

The calendar is lyin' when it reads the present time.

Whoa here's to every citizen you've poisoned the heart of,

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to voters in Mississippi

They say liberals and centrists, don't begin to understand

While they tremble in subservience to Confederates, Neo-Nazis, and the Klan

Neither tears nor sweat can wash away the blood that stains their hands

They smile and shrug their shoulders at the cruelty of a man

So, here's to every citizen you've poisoned the heart of,

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to the apologists and publicists for Mississippi

While they're prattling and preaching to Mississippians that they don't have to care

Stoking resentments and hatreds among people everywhere

And every program or policy is derived from hatefulness and despair

There's not one among them who champions equality for all anytime or anywhere

Whoa here's to every citizen you've poisoned the heart of,

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to politicians in Mississippi

The spewing of bigotry and racism has resumed with a roar

Biases are blinding them to justice as they praise the days of yore

As they spin out rationales for going back to how things were before

Behind their smiles and platitudes lurk injustices by the score

Oh, here's to every citizen you've poisoned the heart of,

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And, here's to Judges in Mississippi

Who wear robes of honor as they slither into the court

They staunchly guard all bastions of the Confederacy they support

And justice is a stranger to those with whom they all consort

Minority and women’s rights to these rogues in robes always come up short

Whoa here's to every citizen you've poisoned the heart of,

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to officials in Mississippi

In the swamp of their hypocrisy, justice loses round after round

And criminals are posing as law enforcement in many towns

And they hope that no one sees the sights, and no one hears the sounds

And the speeches of senators and the governor and are the ravings of clowns

Oh, here's to the democracy you've torn out the heart of

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to laws in Mississippi

Congress Members condone a Confederate winning the day

While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay

Liberal student voters should be blocked, I've clearly heard them say

Yes, corruption can be classic in the Confederate way

Oh, here's to the civic life you've poisoned the heart of

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

And here's to the preachers in Mississippi

Once doing unto others was proclaimed to be the way

But now patriotic blue has been switched to treasonous gray

And the Good Samaritan has been thrown into the dust

Heaven only knows what sort of God Confederates trust

Oh, here's to the citizens you've poisoned the heart of

Confederates find yourselves another country to be part of!

Note: this poem is an adaptation of the Phil Ochs song: https://youtu.be/WU3o9Tl7zTk

Photo Credits:
https://www.nhregister.com/news/us/article/The-Latest-Signs-with-nooses-refer-to-13422671.php

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/democrat-could-swipe-senate-seat-125222095.html

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/181120173410-01-cindy-hyde-smith-confederate-artifacts-super-tease.jpg

Thoughtful Thankfulness

On the fourth Thursday of November,

If tradition wins the day,

Many loved ones get together

To express gratitude in a special way.

With any luck, we are loved, not lonely;

We have some who are dear and near.

Before the feast lays upon the table

Let us try to see beyond the mirror.

Of course, we are grateful for family and friends

And all the goodness in our life,

Be we should also seriously consider

That these benefits came from strife.

America has been called the land of opportunity

For millions, this description has rung true

But, not so for countless of our compatriots

So, we as a society, have a great deal to do.

We should be thankful for judicial independence

And the right to organize, publish and protest

For these features of our heritage

Allow us to continue with America’s quest.

While words of gratitude are welcome

Works make that thankfulness real

For to our better and bravest Angels

Deeds make the highest and best appeal.

Although our times are severely troubled

This November we made strides toward a new start

Let us continue on this path confidently

For honor blooms in the cockles of every grateful heart.

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That all are born free and equal

Now, by our lives, fortunes, and personal honor,

11-9-2016’s catastrophe shall not have a sequel!

Larry Conley

22 November 2018

Photo Credit: https://www.slideshare.net/monsterww/10-inspirational-veterans-quotes/11-As_we_express_our_gratitude