For Hers

My heart aches
My mind rages
My soul grieves
And I have to choke back my screams
For those voices unheard and ignored
For those wounds beneath, disbelieved

Injustice upon injustice 
Piling up in the wide open & behind the scenes
For the women who've spoken
And those who've been too broken
To stand up
To speak up
To believe
In their value
Their worth
Their truth
Their dreams

Too often damaged
Too often destroyed
By the ones who don't feel,
The ones who can't see
That they aren't entitled
Or deserving Or free
To Her body & mind
Her soul or Her dreams


Their crimes ignored, dismissed, explained away, mere noise to the unhearing
Their sins hidden, diminished, wilfully looking w unseeing eyes
By Church and by State equally
Shaming & blaming, refuting her humanity

And His heart shatters & breaks
For hers
And His broken body rages
For hers
And His just soul grieves
For hers

And I can
no longer
choke
back
my screams