{"blocks":[{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"If we could see a Mother’s Day
All around the world,
Where mothers lived a day of joy,
Where mothers felt their worth,"}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://hollywoodprogressive.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg0NTA4MDMwNzcwNjg1NDE1/sudanese-mother-450.gif"},"caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Then what exactly would we see
So moms could realize
That their lives are important and
Their own perspectives wise?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The women in Sudan would not
Be flogged for wearing pants.
Their spirits wouldn’t be constrained;
They’d run, skip, sing, and dance."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" In Arabia we’d celebrate
No groping of the girls;
They’d drive their cars with elbows bare,
Show ankles under skirts."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" As golden rays of morning light
Touched arms tan from the sun,
Brown locks of hair blown by the breeze
From scarves could come undone."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And no false blame on women for
Attracting hands of men,
As if the hands were victims of
The evil feminine."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Instead of yoking women, telling
Them they have to hide,
The men without firm self-control
Would wear handcuffs outside."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And stiff Wahhabi thoughts of us
As temptresses dirt-smeared
Would turn around, go upside down
Til women were revered."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d hear collapse beliefs that virgins
Wait up in the sky
To welcome men who’ve torn apart
The hearts of countless lives."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For woman would not see the sense
In violence or the use
Of bombs, explosions, grief, and death
With God as an excuse."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And over in Afghanistan
Car bombings and grenades
Against the women working for
Their rights would quickly fade."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Iranians for their part would
forbid torture and rapes
Of prisoners and end abuse
Of wives, victims of hate."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And Pakistani mothers giving
Birth would have the aid
Of female nurses from their land
Who’ve been to school and trained."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Then as their infants grew in age
They’d find joy escalate
From playgrounds, slides, and jungle gyms,
From swimming, roller blades."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" As youth needing adventure they’d
Not turn to violent games;
Instead they’d learn gymnastics,
Parachute, ski, climb, and skate."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And as adults out searching for
High purpose, noble life,
They’d tie their passion to non-violent
Action without strife."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Down south in Congo women would
Be safe from savage harm;
Their sons and husbands never forced
To kidnap, kill, bear arms."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Traditions that insist a wife
Accept pain from her mate
Would be replaced by cell phones to
Report him and escape."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And food crops would replace cash crops
So families could eat,
And women would not eat what’s left
From men but with them feast."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Cold darkness that compels some men
To kill for treasured mines
Would change to light so they could see
that deadly greed’s unkind."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And what use is the gain of wealth
When all that it’s used for
Is purchasing more guns to fuel
A war for wealth for war?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The violence in Nigeria,
The suffering on all sides
From lack of prosecution, no
Defense of human rights;"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The oil spills from old pipelines that
The owners won’t clean up,
Polluting land and water leaving
Natives without much;"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The poverty and homelessness
And baseless cruel arrests
That place one thousand on death row,
No fair trials or defense;"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" On Mother’s Day if this could all
Completely change around,
We might set up good habits and
Not spirals going down."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" In India no woman would
Get acid on her face
From men who feel superior
But are debased by hate."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And South Koreans would not let
A thirst for alcohol
Fuel murder, rape, and robbery
And take a morbid toll."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" High in Nepal the women who
Have skills to mediate
Would not be kept from peace talks led
By men who just debate."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And women healers never would
Be stoned for their witchcraft.
Holistic ways cure even without
Numbers, charts, and graphs."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" While medicalized knowledge of
The body may be right,
The inattention to the whole
Leaves gaps in our insight."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Just as the mediator should
Not solve our problems by
Descending bombs and missiles down
To quench unfriendly fire,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The healer cannot fix sickness
By simply cutting out
The portion of the body that
Has fever, fat, or gout."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For problems in the world cannot
Be fixed by killing lives,
And problems in our bodies need
Much more than drugs and knives."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Frustrations and relations, time
In nature or at jobs,
The feeling that we’re trapped somehow,
Our life dreams have been robbed:"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" How are these matters making us
Unhealthy or unkind?
Do they bring out the worst in us
Or bring us peace of mind?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The system whole must be observed
To see what causes what
Or else the complications will
Remain all tangled up."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For enemies, just like disease,
Are symptoms: something’s wrong.
Repair what does provoke them and
You’ll build a friendship strong."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Across the sea in Mexico
No woman would depend
Upon her husband for her wealth
Nor for her self-respect."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Each woman could afford to hire
Help within the home.
Poor moms need not tend children of
The rich but raise their own."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The Wayuu of Colombia
Could live without alarm
That families will be massacred
With holes from bullet swarms."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" By men who from the government,
Police and private thugs,
Seize for themselves the coast for fossil
Fuels and smuggling drugs."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And work for human rights in countries
Like El Salvador
Would not be targeted by groups
Who profit more from war."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Then in the mid-Pacific where
The natives are in grief,
Kept out of sacred land that is
now navy property,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Hawaiian native women would
Return to visit land
Of ancient gods and goddesses
Test-bombed by US planes."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The toxins in Pearl Harbor dumped
As military waste
Would all be cleaned so fish could breathe
And beauty not erased."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" In US stores we’d witness rows
Of magazines on racks
Of women not in swimsuits showing
pubic bones and breasts."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We wouldn’t cover woman and
Reveal only her eyes,
Nor lay her bare for all to see,
Cheap flesh, demeaning lives."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And all strip clubs would be stripped down,
Their women given jobs,
Positions of great dignity,
Not work for two-faced slobs."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d recognize that women whether
Shrouded or displayed
Have hearts and minds that are submerged
In cultures’ one-track ways."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And shackled wisdom of our land
From cultures that were free
Would resurrect itself, a gift
For all humanity."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Lakota mothers and Diné
Would finally realize
A family life without despair,
Depression, suicide."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Full bonds with nature, spirit sparked,
Again community,
No disconnection with the heart,
The spirit, mind, body."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" With hunger gone, no poverty,
The chance to regain rights,
No need to turn to drink and drugs
When meaning’s back in life."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" ∞∞∞"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" On Mother’s Day we’d recognize,
Confirm equality
Between the genders, age, and class,
At work, in families."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d pay the waitress, teacher, nurse,
And secretary, too,
A wage much higher than those who
Sell weapons, drugs, and fuel."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For weapons sales would be exposed
As selfish business games
To not resolve but push for war
With profits as the aim."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And alcohol’s dark role in death,
So many homicides,
Would firmly be acknowledged and
Its sale not be advised."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d help the homeless, feed the poor,
And not expect one class
To serve the needs of higher-ups
While their needs pass unmet."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Our presidents, their spouses would
Not sport designer dress;
Instead they’d pay a good wage to
A hungry, poor seamstress."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And males and females would maintain
Reciprocal respect.
Girls would not hurt and put down boys;
Boys would not girls reject."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The women wouldn’t serve beneath
The men in any church
Or mosque or synagogue as if
Their spirits had less worth."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Yet women who are leaders would
Gain power not because
Their vicious qualities have replaced
Caring, joy, and love."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For in the workforce people would
Lead democratic lives
And not be trampled by a boss:
Cold tyrant, warm disguise."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For if we’re a democracy
But plod to work each day
In fiefdoms of a monarchy
With meager voice and pay,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" How can we then experience
The feeling that we’re free,
Where each voice is of value and
We’re cared for equally?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" ∞∞∞"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" On Mother’s Day our care for kids
Would not be thrown between
The cooking, dishes, laundry, but
Receive deserved esteem."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And raising children would be viewed
As life’s most precious role,
Requiring endless love and time,
A giving of the soul."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We wouldn’t raise our children to
Crave power more than love,
Beat, scold, and dominate them to
Instill a fear of us."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For how we treat them now will lead
To future consequence;
If we want loving adults then
To start with us makes sense."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" If we want men to love their wives
We’d better love our sons,
And not raise them to hate themselves
Without love, joy, and fun."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For if a boy learns to relate
In terms of fear’s control,
He’ll see no other choice but
Domination when he’s old."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Over his wife, over his friends,
The pattern will run deep;
He’ll dominate all foreigners
And those of other creeds."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" If he learns that his status and
His wealth are paramount,
He’ll only strive for power thinking
Love and joy don’t count."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" ∞∞∞"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" On Mother’s Day life would be more
Than time for work and chores:
We’d all have time for hobbies, pets,
And for the wild outdoors."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We wouldn’t split the family with
Each member heading for
A different job, a school, and
Reuniting not before"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The gloaming when at last they come
Fatigued from weary days,
With little energy for love,
No spark to laugh or play."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The schools would open later and
Give children needed sleep,
Instead of living days fatigued
Like uncharged batteries."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Instead of tests and punishments
Class sizes would be small,
For learning grows when love has time
To help scared kids feel tall."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" With so much sadness, so much hate,
The question should not cease:
Should needs for academics so
Eclipse our need for peace?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For while a core of knowledge can
Do wonders for our world,
There comes a point where more classtime
And homework are absurd."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" So classtime would be cut in half;
The children could unwind
And wade in brooks and skip some stones,
Ride horses, jump, and climb."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And those kids who prefer more school
Could happily remain
For teachers’ help, class, clubs, and gym,
A half-day freely gained."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" But if the light of freedom is
Snuffed out from children’s days,
Before too long the zest to care
For learning fades away."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For while those lacking schools may have
Much thirst to learn at will,
When schools are overwhelming
Overload can make us ill."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And while we pay much money to
Insurance industries,
We’d probably have better health
If things like this could be."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" On Mother’s Day life would not be
A selfish race for pay,
For grades, for profits, numbers, but
A time to care and play."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And on that day our children would
Be more than cogs in wheels
That turn the global marketplace
And work for others’ deals."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Pursuing values that should never
Be priorities,
of militarized space, control,
greed, wealth, and vanity."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For when demands on children and
adults do prove too much
and replace joy and love with stress
our wisdom’s turned to dust."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And while the bell curve’s going up
Our culture may seem sound,
But when the excess leads to grief
We plummet to the ground."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" ∞∞∞"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Then suddenly in Europe all
The ancient toppled shrines
Of Mother Earth the Goddess would
Be righted, unconfined."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" And Mother Earth would take her place
Above all human beings,
Not subject to harsh vagaries
Of man-made deities."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d recognize the beauty of
The Earth without the stains
Of human excavation, mines,
And highways multi-laned."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d shun atomic energy
And fuels of fossils, too,
Abhor their deathly toxins and
Their ugly residues."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Before invading Arctic lands
They’d ask us if it’s wise
To drill for fossil fuels that are
The cause of melting ice."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Before constructing one new road
Or store or parking lot,
They’d ask us if we mind yet one
More shattered habitat."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The population we’d reverse
The growth to smaller size:
No Goddess would intend for us
To live while all else dies."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" With Mother Earth as Goddess we
Would fervently exclaim
That land is much too beautiful
To spoil and profane"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" With bombs and blood of those who in
War’s unholy pursuit,
Believe their cause is nobler than
The Earth that they pollute."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" The painting of the mother with
Tears streaming down her cheeks,
Who bravely hugs her son goodbye
To play war’s drumming beat,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" We’d paint that over to reveal
The wisdom of her heart
In knowing that her child should stay
And not for war depart."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Sons would not be conscripted nor
Be registered for war
to lose the very freedom they
allegedly fight for."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" To serve in war by force within
A nation labeled free,
Enticed to register with offers
of college degrees,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Is lower than a nation proud
Should shamelessly descend
While undermining promises
Of freedom in the end."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" For what true good can come of war
If it recycles hate
And falsely teaches lessons that
Our foes deserve their fate?"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" If we learn that the enemies
Are lacking in remorse,
Our conscience never pricks us when
We kill with total force."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" If we learn that the enemies
Cannot be understood
And that we would not be like them
If in their shoes we stood,"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Then we won’t know a Mother’s love
For all her children round.
We’ll never learn the view from in
The sky when looking down:"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Upon us all, our faults and strengths,
how we antagonize
Each other and then claim we’re right,
The other misaligned;"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" To see all of our weaknesses
As faults to meet with love,
To see through hatred to the fear,
And through that to distrust."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" If children cheat, use drugs, or lie
A mother still can see
The goodness in them and just why
Such problems are conceived."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" To kill or stun with taser guns
Just escalates the stress,
When what the victim needs the most
Is love and peacefulness."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" To bomb them, hate them, does no good;
It’s better patiently
To kindly guide them to the sun,
For they have faults like we."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" To bolster war, believe in hate
Is blasphemy to Her,
The Mother Earth the Goddess who’s
Now crushed beyond all words."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":" Yes, cards and flowers mean so much,
But it would mean much more
To share a planet where love reigned
And beauty, joy, not war."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Until events like these arise
I’ll know that Mother’s Day
Is shallow consolation for
A world not gone Her way."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://hollywoodprogressive.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg0NTA4MDI5OTYyNTYwOTk5/kristin-chapman-200.jpg"},"caption":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Kristin Y. Christman"}}]}

Kristin Christman

Mother's Day