Part of Your World

To get what she wants (travel, experience of another culture),

Ariel must trade in her voice

But, without my voice how can I-

You have your looks!

Your pretty face!

Because a princess from the most powerful, if not only, kingdom under the sea,

Has nothing to communicate with

Beyond BODY LANGUAGE

For as we all know, and has been well documented,

Disney exists to reinforce the patriarchy

And the notion that girls/women are there to be looked at

Not heard

And certainly not to use their skills to expand their horizons

Or fulfill their deepest wishes

Ariel is educated

She is an explorer and hungry for knowledge

I’m ready to know what the people know

She can grasp metaphorical concepts beyond her own experience

What’s a fire, and why does it, what’s the word?

BURN?!

She has a shining shimmering treasure trove,

A complete collection of human paraphernalia

Organized by type

But beyond things, Ariel wants more

Our mermaid heroine has feminist notions of a utopian place/time  

Where educated women have freedom

To do as they please, speak out, and move freely

Betcha on land, they understand

Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters!

Bright young women, always swimmin’

Ready to stand

Clearly these notions don’t come from Daddy

Who would rather Ariel find a nice merman

Settle down

And make merbabies 

Ariel signs the scroll in developed cursive handwriting

Suggesting an education beyond kindergarten level

Unlike her father Triton, who only engages with other species through domination,

(His page is a seahorse, his music director is a crab)

Or banishment,

(Ursula. Can’t have educated powerful women floating around the kingdom. Might give young girls ideas.),

Ariel can relate with other species without power struggle.

Her best friend is a fish

Her teacher is a seagull.

We know Ariel has overcome her childhood conditioning of

Other = evil

And if we go beyond the miracle of cross-species communication

(In the magical world of Disney merpeople can communicate with all forms of aquatic life, and with humans;

Everybody conveniently speaks English)

Why does Ariel not use her many other skills, beyond her body, to communicate?

In all her collection of bottles and human knick knacks

Does she not possess a message in a bottle?

Why doesn’t she write in the sand?

Use seashells to spell out a message?

Use her ability to talk to animals to ask the fireflies to spell it out?

Hi Eric! Remember me? I rescued you!

I’m totes in love with you!

Wanna hang out? 

Beyond the recent reduction of genuine kick-ass feminist role models

To big-eyes, sparkly dresses, and insane privilege

Give me characters who use their wit

And education

To go out into the world

And use their voice

In whatever way they can

To progress and flourish

And inspire those around them to do the same

Now that is something worth singing about. 

The end. 

Raise Your Voice

The world abounds in

Misogyny

The systematic hatred of women

That permeates our society

And displays itself in

Rape

Abuse

And all manner of violence against women

We are a rock revolting

Around a burning sun

It is frightening and ugly and demeaning and soul destroying

Women are under-represented in every institution and industry we can name

In some places we are not allowed out the front door

In many spheres we are presented only as objects of sex

Denied our bodies in others

And always put down

All the fact of an x v. y

And it’s not that men and women

“Hate women” as such

We have sisters! And mothers! And aunts! And daughters!

And friends who are girls and women

I am not one of them

One of those people who

Hates women

But the hatred

Is a habit

Entrenched after two thousand years

Of power struggle, of

Systematic suppression, repression,

Denial

Of the rights of women

To live

And yet

We must keep going

Because it doesn’t have to be this way

It is possible for men and women

To work together

As equals

By speaking out

And naming it

And calling it out

When it happens

In the press, in our speech, in everyday conversation

We can chip away at this

Belittling of one half of the population of the planet

Until misogyny and sexism

Are relics

People are working

Everyday every moment every second

To make it better

The Eve Ensler's and Caroline Criado-Perez's and NMP3's and #everydaysexism's and AnneSummers’ of the world

The campaigners and dreamers and artists and writers and regular everyday people who are making an honest effort

Out there in the world

Really trying

To create a world where

Women have equal rights

To life and dignity 

Where is your voice?

And what is it saying?

The end. 

Peace Night

from the Buck's Rock PhotoBlog

Imagine

You are tired

And overwhelmed

And stressed

And everything is getting you down

And then your friend suggests

A labyrinth

For peace night

And she measures out the lines

And draws chalk lines on the asphalt

And in the early evening

A light rain falls

And the lines glow

You surround the labyrinth

With candles

And your friend explains the walk

And one by one

People walk the path

Simultaneously circling

Closer and further

From the centre

At first your breath is fast

You try to walk slowly

What it means to be ceremonial

To be mindful

There is no goal

You want to reach the centre

When will the labyrinth make you feel better?

Your boy is walking ahead of you

He is walking at a slower pace

He has internalized mindfulness

He does it as a matter of course

You fall into his rhythm

And breathe

You reach the centre

Energy pulsates

Calm and buzzing

The space created by the chalk lines

By people who are here

With intention

You lead a candlelit procession

To the porch

Small but lovely

The speak out

One child had never heard of Hiroshima until tonight

He lived through Hurricane Sandy

Another lives in Sandy Hook

The shared desire for a world more harmonious

Imagine

You live in a world

Where all the people

...

Vivid chalk-soft lines

You have entered the world of the labyrinth

The end. 

Stop Imagining

source

The world is full
It seems
Of such awful things
People being awful
To the other people
Destruction
Pain and chaos

Hate comes from a place
Of sorrow and anger
Mistrust and mistreatment

All the people who hate

And are filled with violent thoughts

And carry out violent actions
Are reacting to something

Injustices done to them
Or their loved ones

And it doesn't in any way

Justify horrific acts

But they didn't fall out of the sky

Hating and perpetrating awfulness 

What if we turned to every being

And said

You are loved

You are worthy 

You are allowed to be here

Not because religion

Or because long gone gurus said so

But just because

Would it change anything?

Years of abuse of injustice and pain

Would probably retaliate

Untrusting 

Imagine
All the people
Living life in peace
Yoo hoo-ooo

Stop imagining
Do it
Live life in peace
And as once was said
Be the change
Be nice to one another
Say please and thank you

Because we can all imagine
If only's
And the possibility of futures
Far away
We can wish
Forever
But if wishes were fishes...
We'd deplete the sea
Until there was nothing left

Instead of waiting for the future to happen
Instead of waiting for a day of peace
Down the track
Let's live it right now

Today I watched the London marathon
On a (rare) bright blue sky London day
All the people running past
In shorts and leggings and brightly coloured wigs
And smiles through the pain
The cheers from the crowds watching on
In everyone's minds
This was Boston on Monday
The sea of humanity
The celebration of health
And togetherness
Of fun
And festivity
Of challenge
And achievement
Was at once beautiful
And overwhelming
And the world seemed
For a moment, at least,
Less awful

The end.

Rise Up

http://onebillionrising.org/

I'm reading
A history
Of women in power in England
Before Elizabeth I
The injustices these women faced!
Married off as political pawns at birth
Literally entering those marriages at 12
And being carted around Europe
And bearing the children
Of unfaithful
Selfish
Arrogant kings
Imagine being a 12thC princess
No thanks!

But if only
The trampling of women
Were "history"

Today I read
How the upcoming
Children's films
For 2013
Do nothing to promote
The visibility of women
On screen

Yesterday Upworthy published an article
Congratulating Dove for using
"real women"
In its "real beauty" campaign
Yes, they weren't anorexic
But where was their cellulite?
Or their stretch marks?
Or body hair?
Or skin "blemishes"?
Just as photoshopped and airbrushed as the
Derided Victoria's Secret
bikini models
Visible but conformist
To the gaze
That requires
Perfect bodies

The answer?
Speak out!
Say it is wrong!
Point out where the trouble is
But
The Independent
Published an article
About how when women speak out
They are literally told to
Shut up

Today
If you are a powerful woman
You are a witch
A bitch
A liar
Criticized for not wearing makeup
For wearing too much makeup
For being visible at all

I'm sick of
People not treating
Other people
As people
Because of race gender beliefs
Whatever
I'm sick of living
In a culture
So entrenched for
Centuries
That prizes women for
Their glorified looks
For their silence

I want to live in a world
Where people are people
The end.

In two weeks
Eve Ensler is calling
For people to
Rise
To stand up against
Inequality
And brutality
Towards women

I want to rise
To say
Whoever you are
Whether you identify as man woman or neither
Please can we just work together
To make life on this unstable planet more bearable
More fun
More beautiful
To ensure
Every person
Born to this planet
Has good food
And shelter
And access to music
And culture
And freedom of expression
And freedom to be
Themselves
Perfect
Just as they are

The end.