Dec 8, 2017 Original Poetry
Citadel
©December 8th, 2017
By Vijaya Sundaram
Where is Lysistrata
Where are the womenfolk
Who would stand as a citadel,
Resisting their menfolk,
And decrying war?
The men are at the gates
And among them, those
Who would be with the women
As women, stand perplexed:
When to move into the citadel
By stealth, not force?
When to declare themselves
As not men, but Other?
Beside them, other men – careless,
Arrogant, crude and filthy,
Speak callously of those
Whom they desire, laughing,
Smirking, challenging one another.
Displaying, strutting, stupid
As stones in a field of mud.
Behind them, other women
Eager to replace those in the citadel,
Urge the men ever forward,
Happy to witness the downfall
Of sisters and mothers, friends.
Proudly, they wear their disdain,
For they imagine themselves
As One of The Boys.
Where is Lysistrata?
Where are the women, decrying war,
Who would deny entrance to the men
And the women who support the men?
They are rebuilding their citadel,
They’ve dug their moat.
And the moat now has crocodiles.
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Tags: #Lysistrata, #OriginalPoetrybyVijayaSundaram, #WomenSpeakingOut, #Womenvs.Men