Women’s Work

Half the world
or a little less
wears the gimme cap
of faux courage
like a bad joke,
jealous as they are
of the throne of glory,
however undeserved.
Fidgety with their own
white lies to hide,
confronted with hard facts
and difficult dilemmas,
sheepishly they back up,
hide out, mansplain,
or grandstand as cover.

Hidden in their midst,
serving as patron saints
of what is good for humanity,
the gentler gender,
populating our planet
and then caring for it,
is intuitively wise enough
to size up their messy situations
and sidestep the folly of pride
to valiantly take a stand
speaking truth to power
and creating solutions
for their cowardly colleagues
who mumble excuses for why
they can only pretend
to be courageous leaders.

by Anne McCrady

NEWSLINKS: ABC News, Politico, USA Today, The Hill, Associated Press

AUDIOLINK: https://soundcloud.com/inspiritry/women-in-politics