SILENT NO MORE

I wrote this poem about a month ago, but decided to hold off on posting it until International Women’s Day, which is today (March 8th, 2023). I wrote it at the encouragement of my dear friend Sharon Hake, as a submission for an upcoming book from Great Dames, which is the nonprofit organization that she co-founded with her daughter, and where I serve on the Board. Great Dames is a dynamic, diverse community of women who are connected, empowered and inspired to create the impact they desire.

In seeking submissions for the book, Great Dames were invited to share their stories, reinforcing their commitment to women through their words. My original view was that this was primarily a project by women and for women, but in talking with Sharon, I came to see that as an ally, particularly one that actively seeks to encourage more men to step up in their support of women, it was time for me to put fingers to keyboard.

SILENT NO MORE

All men
We are sons of mothers
Often brothers of sisters
Husbands of wives
And fathers of daughters

All too often
We, and that means me
It means you
It means our fathers
It means our brothers
It means our sons

We bear witness, silently
Seeing and feeling the pain, maybe
Observing persistent inequalities, perhaps
Perceiving rinse and repeat indignities, possibly
And do we take action?
Not often enough

From our very first breath
Age-old signals and patterns surround us
Some subtle, many overt
Feeling hopeless and helpless
We often choose silence
Reinforcing the status quo

All too often making excuses
For ourselves and to ourselves
Quick to say that it’s better than it was
Deep down, we know it’s not enough

So what do we do?
We ask
We listen
We support
We hold space
We voice our truths

We show our mothers and our sisters
We show our wives and our partners
Yes, especially to our daughters
We show that they’re not alone
Not us and them
But we, together

To our fathers and our brothers
And yes, especially to our sons
We show them a better way
Leading by example, we celebrate
That together, we move mountains
Not content with leveling the playing field
We commit to expanding it, for all of us