Anguish / Misogyny
by Jean Smith
There’s a desperation
Tell me you don’t feel it
This hopelessness coming down, coming down
These times demand a reprieve from the anguish
These times like no other before us
Like no other to follow
In the anguish of uncompleted missions,
disappointment and futility.
I knew you then and I know you still.
The anguish of nothing being resolved.
It didn’t get resolved at all.
And I call it the anguish – misogyny
We hide the anguish not too well at all
not too well at all
why should we hide the anguish of misogyny
The hopelessness of all that’s unresolved.
I call it anguish.
The disappointment of all that’s unresolved.
All those times we thought there was a future
built on words and actions
swept away
I call the violence, malicious behavior, anger and misogyny
that rules the streets, rules the days and rules the nights
I call this failure anguish
I call this – our shame – misogyny
l call this lack of empathy my personal anguish
your violence and aggression – this misogyny
The perpetration of aggression against all women
I call this misogyny our shame
I call our failure and disappointment – anguish
I’m electrified, repulsed and angry at all that’s unresolved.
I call our failure – this misogyny
For all the time we put into everything we ever tried to do,
to accomplish, to resolve, to make better, to happen
we failed
I call it a hidden anguish – this misogyny
anguish I share with you
I call it anguish and pain I share with you
I share with you – misogyny
This anguish, this shame – misogyny
I share with you
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