Resistance Poetry by Jennifer Lagier
Portrait by Allen Forrest
Resistance Poetry
by Jennifer Lagier
In the Shadow of That Wall
“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me –and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.” – Donald J. Trump
Orange Airbag-in-Chief is obsessed with enclosures.
Vows to build a great wall, one that rivals
the immense stone structure bisecting China.
Best of all, Mexico will pay all costs,
an announcement that causes white supremacists
and xenophobes to crow their approval.
I crave a tall barrier to protect
my sensibilities and body
from greedy, sadistic misogynists
currently running our country
into the ground for personal gain,
unfettered dominance, unholy profits.
It’s up to women
to topple this evil regime.
Take back democracy.
Re-establish rule of law.
We’ve had a lifetime of experience
cleaning up destructive men’s messes.
Tiny Agonies
Camille sips hot coffee,
scrolls through Internet headlines:
Porn Star Says Trump Bad in Bed;
Nuclear War, Extreme Weather
Top List of 2018 Threats;
Marathon Running Mom, 10-Year-Old
Boy Latest Flu Victims;
China space station packed with
‘CANCEROUS chemicals’
to crash into Earth ‘within MONTHS’.
She is fed up starting every morning
with elevated blood pressure, wanting
to vaporize Washington DC,
exterminate White House residents,
migrate to a remote forest
or desert island
to escape rampant stupidity.
There aren’t enough bong hits
to erase oppressive, offensive reality.
Instead, she drags out magic marker,
a huge sheet of poster board,
creates a protest sign
with scathing message, pointed graphics.
She’ll share her anger and energy
with vibrant, vocal, voting females.
at the local Women’s March,
Together, they will oust inept,
sexist clowns currently in power,
bring back intelligent, humane behavior,
take over all levels of government,
make the world sane.
Hang ‘Em High
“When people show you who they are, believe them.” – Maya Angelou
Conservative white male outrage
boils over at the thought of females
in control of their own minds,
bodies, potential.
An Atlantic columnist opines
that those who have abortions
are murderers, should be executed
by public hanging.
Misogyny burgeons
in a country that places
sexual predators
at the helm as its leaders.
Sisters gather, organize,
vow “No more!”
elect female representatives
in record numbers.
◊
Revolution
Many of us have carried picket signs,
marched and chanted for over five decades,
grow weary repeatedly fighting the same battles.
Clueless, self-entitled men want to control our bodies,
dictate dress and behavior,
discount feelings, beliefs,
scoff at aspirations and plans.
President Pussy Grabber
is just another authoritarian,
narcissistic sexual predator.
His tiny hands, swollen ego
abuse our intelligence,
dismantle civil society,
unravel the rule of law
as he rapes Mother Earth.
Each morning I wake up seething,
find one more way to rebel,
recruit equally disenchanted sisters
to short circuit crushing regulations,
harness every iota of muscle to break
misogyny’s arrogant, soulless machine.
◊
Women’s March 2018
“No more pandering, No more feeling guilty about hurting someone’s feelings when something doesn’t feel right for me. I have made a promise to myself to be responsible to my self, that in order to trust my instincts I must first respect them.” – Scarlett Johansson
I join thousands of women
who work beneath glass ceilings,
behind a pink curtain,
under atrocious conditions
We honor those who toil at cash registers,
labor in fields, hotels, restaurants,
harried and nameless in gray corporations,
underpaid, undervalued and overwhelmed.
Today we demonstrate unity,
flex political muscle, power in numbers.
Our signs express humor,
frustration, simmering anger.
Time’s up on unwanted second-class status.
We’re fed up, pissed off, out of patience,
unwilling to accept less than our due.
No more lies, harassment, gross disrespect.