A Pregnant Pause

roe-v-wade-abortion-poem
On Dec. 13, 2021, the 50th anniversary of when Roe v. Wade was argued at the Supreme Court, abortion rights supporters held a candlelight vigil in front of the Court. (Victoria Pickering / Flickr)

women are supposed
to become invisible
around the time we
stop shopping the Tampax aisle
when we are no
longer vessels for babies,
preferably male and white

the Supreme Court leak,
or should I say flood,
heightens unease
anger courses through my veins
ignites a fire in my empty womb

I won’t crawl
in cavewoman attire
up the Capitol steps
draped in ignorance
armed with a gun
purchased at a box store
in a no name town

the keyboard is mightier
than the sword
and our weapon lies
between our ears
not our legs

we have marched for less
we have cried for less
yet together we burn bright
light the path for our daughters

never underestimate the
power of a pissed off
woman with nothing to lose


Sign and share Ms.’s relaunched “We Have Had Abortions” petition—whether you yourself have had an abortion, or simply stand in solidarity with those who have—to let the Supreme Court, Congress and the White House know: We will not give up the right to safe, legal, accessible abortion.

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About

Sherri London Pastolove is the author of two poetry collections, Cowgirls and Love in D Major. Her poems have appeared in Newsday, the 911 Memorial Artists Registry, Corona: An Anthology of Poems and many other publications. You can follow her blog “What Do You Say, Sherri Darling."