September 25, 2018

September Poem #25

By Kat Myrman

proof,
the “gritty-nits”,
when tossed into a cesspool
of dull memories drowned in booze
conjures our worst demons

~kat

A word about the photo above. It is a composite of several men recently (within the last several years) accused or convicted of sexual assault against women. I layered their faces one on top of the other and blurred the final silhouette. In this age of “Me Too” it is hard to separate separate the demons from each other without convicting everyone before they’ve even been tried. Regardless of the seriousness of their transgressions, we are quick to treat all with the same intense condemnation. It is reasonable to say that an off color joke spoken in mixed company does not rise to the level of harassment or assault, and yet we demand justice. As for the women who have been truly victimized, who we want to believe and who deserve our deepest empathy and respect, it has become difficult to avoid lumping every claim that is made into one basket, which makes each revelation easier to dismiss. That is not fair to anyone. While it is important to believe those who bravely come forward knowing that they will be subject to unfiltered scrutiny, we must also take care to ensure fairness to all involved, be it affirmation for the victim or justice in a measure that is reasonable for the crime for those accused.  This issue has gotten so very blurry and politicized. Social change is never easy. These are important times and we need to get this right. May we always remember that our goal is equality, respect, empathy, and understanding…and not to win for the sake of winning.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 25th, 2018 at 2:09 pm and tagged with , , , , , , , and posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Pensee, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Social Issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

8 responses to “September Poem #25”

  • Peter's pondering
    September 25th, 2018 at 4:49 pm

    Bravely, and well spoken Kat. We are all too ready nowadays to join the lynch mob before the ink is dry on the allegation.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Kat Myrman
      September 25th, 2018 at 5:12 pm

      Thanks Peter. Balance is needed on all sides in our most recent scandal. The fact that our congressional leaders are willing to listen to the victim but have also made it clear that nothing she says will change their course to confirm her alleged abuser to the highest court in the land for a lifetime appointment speaks volumes in how far we have yet to go. It sends chilling message to girls and women everywhere that those in power don’t care. But as I also said, rushing to judgment does no one any good. A thorough investigation by the FBI would help. But officials are unwilling to go there. This only adds fuel to the fire. Are they afraid of the truth? All this overshadows the vile record that we already know about for this judge who is determined to turn back the hands of progress and has likely lied under oath on numerous occasions. Separation of powers; the neutrality of a Supreme Court is a joke in the age of Trump. But I did hear that he got laughed at during his speech to the UN Security Council today…so at least there’s that. 😄

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  • willowdot21
    September 26th, 2018 at 8:18 am

    Well said Kat 💜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Kat Myrman
      September 26th, 2018 at 12:15 pm

      Last night the congressional committee decided to have a vote early Friday morning. Clearly not allowing for any analysis of the woman’s testimony. On top of that, in order to not appear like an inquisition of old men, they have brought in a female prosecutor to ask their questions for them. For me the visual is even more offensive. A group of old men sitting smugly, gloating, while leering at the whole spectacle as the two women fight it out supposedly to “get to the truth”. It all smacks to me of a bunch of men hooting from the sidelines while a couple bikini clad women mud wrestle…or perhaps a coliseum where they send in an innocent to be slaughtered (disproved/discounted) by a She-beast. I know I have a vivid imagination. But it is definitely all a sham since nothing she says will sway them from moving forward with their vote to get this person in the court. The thing is, even before the allegations, he had an abominable record as it relates to women’s rights and other issues. 😦

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