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Monday, April 16, 2012

Hear Me Roar

[image from google]

Those were the days,
my friend,
when we burst out of 
our polyester pants
and domestic straitjackets,
grew our hair long,
sang "Hit the Road, Jack"
at the top of our lungs,
and realized:
We are People too,
this is not fair.
(He said,
kicking over 
the stack of Ms. magazines 
disdainfully,
"We were all right 
till you started thinking 
you were a Person.")

Those were the years
when
the words of Desiderata,
"You are a child of the universe.
...you have a right to be here"
made me cry,
because I had never
realized that truth
before.

Those were the years
when the women raged
and the men grew silent,
when the status quo buckled,
and the 50's were
 Most Definitely Over.

We felt the "click"
of the Problem That Had No Name,
when The Feminine Mystique
hit our parched throats
like a cool drink in the desert,
like a map made in Braille
for the unsighted.

Those were the years
when the hobbled
burst free and flew,
exhilarating swoops
through a new landscape
  of women,
when
Ms. magazine
liberated me
from my prison,
and I was never
the same again.

Those were the days.
Hear me roar.

Last night I caught Oprah's interview with Gloria Steinem, still so beautiful. It so took me back to the 70's, those years of flinging off the shackles.

28 comments:

  1. What a wonderful anthem to an era which changed life as it was known forever.

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  2. I have to go see what my husband says, before I can leave a comment.

    snicker

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  3. Wonderful memories of a great time in history. I love Hit the Road Jack.

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  4. OMG ~ I am so grateful to have 'been present' .. We though they'd never end ............

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  5. Nice memories Sherry ~ Those were the days ~

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  6. Wth all due respect Sherry, 'shackles'? I knew them as
    'brassieres'(admit had to look up the spelling initially spelling it brazier which means 'a metal container for hot coals', oops)
    Not too far off (a Fireblossom snicker)

    Wonderful reflection and reference to our favorite: Desiderata

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  7. Gloria Steinem was always is a classy presence and still is beautiful. That definitely was a time of wonderful empowerment which really changed the way things were. Yes, roar indeed!

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  8. Roar.......love this Sherry! An era of inspiration indeed! I watched part of that and I also watched Master Class with Jane Fonda....I got goosebumps....i could not believe the similarities in our childhoods.

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  9. Brilliant, Sherry - I too remember those heady days... though my own roaring took a bit longer coming to life ;)

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  10. Those were the days and what an era! - from what I've heard and also seen as a child back then. Well penned and with passion too!

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  11. She changed the world, along with her cohorts. Thank the universe for their wisdom and courage. Thank you, Sherry, for highlighting those attributes in such a lovely tribute.

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  12. Hey, old woman, the words are still there, still roaring, and will forever need to be repeated. Yes, those were the days, just as these present ones are. The work is never really done.

    Another old woman,
    Elizabeth
    http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/

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  13. I saw a part of that show too. It brought me back to my feminist days, when I burned my bra in protest of the patriarchy. But, I wear bras again. (It really would not be a pretty picture if I didn't.) However, I'll never forget those days, and neither will my husband!

    Nicely penned memories.

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  14. Love this 70's freedom song..those of us who lived it became stronger and better communicators because of it.

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  15. A transformational manifesto that is just as relevant now as it was back then.

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  16. Sherry, very nicely done. In addition to the poem being very reflective in nature, to me it has a memoir type quality to it, very cool to see in a poem. nice read. Thanks

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  17. Those certainly were the days!
    ... I remember them well!

    Anna :o]

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  18. They still are the days; they just have evolved a little! Thanks-

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  19. Amen, sister. But somehow, some people are still all freaked out about it.

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  20. I love this, Sherry. But, I fear that many of our young women have forgotten.

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  21. And those were the days of Our Bodies, Ourselves (who knew?).

    Yes, those were the days. But with every new day that dawns on this political campaign happening here in the US, I realize the battle is far from over. I can only hope that the complacency they are counting on will prove to be just a pipe dream on their part.

    Make sure to vote, Ladies.

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  22. I remember hearing "I Am Woman" on the radio and singing along (although at the time, I wasn't yet a woman!) I remember the term "male chauvinist pig" being thrown around a lot too!

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  23. Love your tribute to the era, and the remembering of the songs, the slogans and the furies. Great write.

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  24. Certainly has that 70's feel about it. I do wish that feminism wasn't so connected with pro abortion... I don't admire Gloria for that.

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  25. I'm 'way behind in my commenting and so glad I came back. This is great stuff, my friend. I remember the 70s. I thought they'd never end.
    K

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  26. Amen ... well said ... very well said! Hugs, not writing at the moment. Liz

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  27. Hi Sherry, yes, very nice that women have finally begun to shine through as individual spirits that deserve to shine! Never to be silent again, shine ladies, shine!! Very nice poetic literature and superb sentiments! Lovely read.

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