On Being Women by Delthea Simmons

Being a woman is not a game
It's not about pussy hats

Not about cute t-shirts
Not about ironic or sarcastic memes

Being a woman is serious

it's not about a one day "strike"
It's not about chanting "77 cents"

It's not about a few women taking a day's leave from work while most woman dare not leave work for a day

Being a woman is hard

It's not about marching once and going home
It's not about selfies with celebrities on the National Mall

It's not about feeling inspired and proud and clapping hands and rocking bodies with arms locked to an old negro spiritual

Being a woman is continuous

Being a woman is work
It's about walking a gauntlet of cat calls and grabbing hands just to make it through a shift at work

It's about second hand stores and overrun bins and patches on patches for you so your kids can look decent at school

It's pleading with bill collectors and rent collectors and tax collectors for more time because your boss just can't seem to find the money that is your worth

It's being sick and tired of being sick and tired and risking the job you have to organized for the job you need

It's about jobs 2 and 3 that are not for extra money but I-Need-Every-Damn-Dime-to-Get-Through-the-Week money

It's about working sick, working hurt, running to the car on break to check on your kids because there is no money for childcare this week.

It's about running after buses everyday
It's about surveillance cameras and locker searches and peeing in a cup

It's about tears and fears and singing dirges and torch songs and every melody tuned to the blues searching for a deliverance gospel.

Being a woman is hard, and scarring, and scary and serious business.

And yet, ...

Women rise with every dawn and love on their kids and hug on their lovers and work on their jobs and laugh loud and draw crowds and find hidden joy even in the sorrow and never lose the hope of tomorrow and

Live on
Live on
Live on