We resisted the stake

And the flames

The executioner’s sentence

Of ignorance and fear

We took the fire

And let it burn within us

Raising our voices

Raising our fists

We spoke our truth

We voiced our “no”

But objects don’t have the right

To consent or refuse

And still we fight

Still we resist

The world of men

For our daughters and our sons

We speak truth

We demand “more” –

for to be held as equal

To be perceived as human

Requires a fight

A battle

An endless war

While patriarchy grinds

Its boot

More firmly

Into the face

And the womb

Of the mothers who made us all – Caroline A. Slee