Wommen of kynde desiren libertee
and not to be constrayned as a thral
and so doon men, if I sooth sayen shal

(Geoffrey Chaucer)

There are women in this poem;
men too, but the women are not here
by courtesy of the men,
not even by courtesy of the poet.

There are women in this poem,
but they are not employed to type or cook,
they do not make its beds or sweep its floors—
in fact, this poem works for them.

There are women in this poem
who are not wives or girlfriends,
they are not mothers or daughters to anyone;
the women in this poem are sisters.

There are women in this poem
unreflected by mirrors, unpainted,
not restricted by feminine roles;
they are free, the women in this poem.

There are women in this poem,
men too, who at last can recognise themselves;
when they learn to recognise each other,
they will know this poem is a heart.