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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Friday, September 30, 2011

Red

On Thursday September 15th, the Virginia Board of Health passed new regulations for the twenty-three abortion clinics within the state. The new measures impose regulations on the clinic itself, including rules about ceiling height, hallway width, size of operating tables, and number of parking spaces. Proponents of the plan deem it necessary for safety reasons, but the majority of abortions performed in Virginia clinics occur during the first trimester. First trimester abortions are extremely safe and rarely present complications...The Virginia regulations are the newest anti-abortion laws in a string of state-level legislation passed since the 2010 elections...Backed by the new Republican majorities in many state legislatures, restrictions on abortion are becoming increasing common. http://www.americavotes.org/node/1660

Tie the doors shut with red tape
It's a real red-letter day
victory for the red, white, and blue morality police
wipe the blood stains off their hands
Scarlet women put in their place
faces red with shame and fear
roaming back alleys after sunset
searching
Watch the blood flow
red and redder
Watch as it floods the streets
taints the sheets
Watch them die in
rivers of crimson
Red is the color of women's suffering
Red is the color of rage
Clay soil
under the nails of the men who
dig the graves
for the women
for the girls
who don't stop bleeding
red roses atop 
their graves.

submitted for Thursday Think Tank, #68 Red at Poets United

12 comments:

Brian Miller said...

damn...

vivid and makes its point well...

Scarlet said...

whew.. powerful and gripping words with red..it is also a raging issue with us here...

you gave the colour a strong personality here ~
excellent ~

Laura Maria said...

Looola I finally joined your other lovely followers! I don't know what I was waiting for :).
Thanks so much for all of the lovely comments you've left me.
I love how you used the facts from the prompt in your poem.

not displayed said...

Powerful stuff. Women should have support and the right to choose. And if that choice is to have an abortion, then they should have the right to a safe legal option.

JustRex said...

Trying to drive the clinics, and the women, back underground again. Nice. You can't see the sarcastic sneer on my face, but it's there.

Unknown said...

You have told the truth of too many...

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

powerful highlight on sad cases,
wow.
love the vivid imagery.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

WOW! LOVE THIS! "Red is the color of women's suffering, red is the color of rage". Fantastic response to the prompt on an important topic. Way to go! Way to be a woman!!!!! Hear her roar!

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Hmmmm......did blogger eat my comment? To repeat, I so love this wonderful write on a very important topic. I love "red is the color of women's suffering, red is the color of rage". Way to go! Love it big-time. Hear her roar:)!

Ella said...

Brilliant response, sad, haunting and powerful~

Claudia said...

this made my heart ache lola...so well captured...painful

Anonymous said...

Living in a reasonably free (and very secular) country far, far away I find it astonishing to read about things like these. I suppose there will always be an argument about when an actual life begins, but... Honestly? My blood boils red at the mere thought that I (or anyone for that matter) shouldn't be allowed to decide for myself what to do with my own body.

Anyhow, I loved the piece and think it is an extremely important topic as well! Thank you so very, very much for sharing it!