Poem: Night-Women

Why is it that the
Shadowy night holds
No pain for the men with their strong arms
And fast legs.

They tell us to tread carefully,
Carry our mace and whistles
Never go alone, they warn.
The bad men will find you--
(Though if they do, it's probably your fault anyway)

So we slink, paranoid,
Conscious of our weak arms
And slow legs.
Conscious of our vulnerability.
We start at every leaf fall
And panic at the step behind

We could be strong, you know.
We could be the Night-Women,
Prowling and powerful
Gliding and flying
Free from our socially-
Constructed fears
(And they would not
Control us.)

Perhaps, then, the little boys would be warned of Us;
Instead of teaching our girls fear,
We would tell them Tales of the Night-Women
Who seized the rule of the Twilight-mists
And transformed it into
A place of joy, and of beauty