We’re supposed to be
Supposedly
Marrying for love
And I wonder how many relationships
Exist outside of alliance
Dependence partnership
Spoken or unspoken contracts
How independent
Can a woman be
In the patriarchy
The revolution
Is not
Independent Women
Resisting and persisting
Independently exhausting
It is all of us
Together
Humanity amicably
Asking for help
Receiving and giving
Resting and living
In gracious abundance
The opposite of patriarchy
Is not matriarchy
Oligarchy hierarchy
Anarchy or any-archy
The future isn’t female
The future is all of us
Caretaking embracing healing us
Which means all of us
Showing up for us
As we are
Joyfully
Gratefully humbly
Giving a damn
Interdependence
Mutual aid cooperation inclusion
No thing thrives in seclusion
Egoic delusion
Powerful men tell us we can be like them
Powerfully independent self-made
Standing at the
Tip
Tops of their
Self-made triangles
Crushing thousands of shoulders
Bodies hearts minds dreams talents
Boots on necks
Their capitalist propaganda
Pits us against each other
So that we don’t work together
To save ourselves
Power sharing
Power growing
People power creating
New life free life for free
I don’t strive anymore
For anything or anyone
I exist
Paying attention
Noticing
Showing up with all of me
Which is enough
Worshipper of life itself
Every living thing seen and unseen
Trading triangles for circles
Spirals
Neighbor Sister Auntie Friend
Lover if you’re lucky
Married for love
Married forever
To me
Jaclyn Edds Konczal | April 2022