Out of the Shadows
By Jennifer H. Catto
Ladies, the dark angels of our spirits are dancing now.
Left and Right
We have that in common
Many of us taking the medicine
Of our own voices, our own steps.
Moving across a dark infinity
We march
Carrying signs — some sweet, some tough, some sardonic
Love Trumps Hate!
Keep your tiny hands away from my vagina!
And the Putin signs. Oh, the Putin signs!
All of it,
Salted by a sea of pussy hats
And we welcome it all
We say yes and yes and yes and yes
We hold each other up
We march and laugh toward the light
We got this, we say
And then we disperse,
A cloud of gnats zigzagging every which way
Some fighting, some avoiding, some grieving
Some dreading, some hoping, some shouting
Some organizing, many pulling together
We are an undulating cloud
Held together by an unwavering force
We are a colony
And we will march again
Next time we march, when new sisters join in
New sisters from the other side of the fence
Holding new signs, and shouting new messages
The oppressors will want us to say no
They are doing everything in their power to make sure we WILL say no
But divide and conquer, that age-old trick,
Is out from the shadows
So let us say yes
Yes and yes and yes and yes
To our new sisters, joining us
Let us say yes
Yes even to our own unclaimed darkness
Let’s keep getting this
Let’s keep getting this
Jennifer H. Catto writes fiction and news features and is working on a “spiritual, coming-of-age” novel. She has a masters in writing from Johns Hopkins University. Also, she loves music, dancing, and playing the drums.