Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fallacies of Our Fathers' Faiths

I never wanted to be a fabulous female. What was I thinking?
The fabulous women seemed to appeal to men excessively drinking.
I wanted a relationship that was comfortable for me and my man;
Running away from other men was not part of my family plan.

I worked hard to be a best friend rather than a concubine sort;
I didn't know that competition and conquest was a marriage sport.
I groomed myself to be attractive enough to shy men,
Steering carefully away from those with over-confident grins.

It never occurred to me until I'd failed at marriage twice
That there were men out there who only wanted a trophy wife.
Once a trophy is won, it's time to pursue a higher honor degree;
It was never enough for these men that I continued to be simply me.

Where had I gotten the idea that an alpha man wanted an equal companion?
Did I think that walking on two legs made an animal more human?
I was even careful to vet the men for a upbringing that was Christian,
Having been assured that freedom of choice was part of the Christian plan.

I was completely blind to the belief that one could confess to another,
And be exempted from seeking reconciliation with sister or brother.
Much less would a man whose rib had produced his life's mate
Be required to, in other than procreation, with his wife to cooperate.

After all, men who had created a god in their own image and likeness
Weren't likely, to their own weaknesses, wrongs, and needs confess.
Humanity had set up oldest sons as the god-designated progenitors,
Making this male's bothers and sisters into servants, soldiers, and whores.

How great is our American melting pot of those who escaped tradition,
Who have become the progenitors of what many still call sedition.
We are not held to the fears and fallacies of our fathers' faiths;
We have re-defined the rules of justice for the global human race.

I will not go back to the years where we were part of a colony;
Nor will I support the notion of our country's absolute superiority.
Every person, every culture, every one of our global nations
Has something valuable to add to our human survival conversation.

We need those with institutional memories, as well as innovators.
We need the plodders and care givers as well as the creators.
We need those who simply know how to provide comic relief,
And those who can bolster us when we have the need to weep.

There will come a time when we can't count on new generations
To provide everything we need to continue our current creations.
We must stop fighting for the authority of tradition to impose
The way of life on which subsequent generations should repose.

I am willing to give up all my right for my generation to have a voices
If the subsequent generations take full responsibility for their choices.
It seems to me that we need, more than in ancient societies,
Fully cooperative, compassionate, multi-generational communities.