POLITICAL Poem: Stay tuned….The Republic of Gilead Coming to a City Near You!, by M.J. Heikkila

Welcome to the Republic of Gilead;
where we’ve trained the women to be demure; the commander’s wives
holding down the wrists of the handmaids; welcome to the new America.

Autonomy no longer matters;
why should it? When men can make all the decisions for women,
when men get to choose who gets pregnant, when their own wives hold the handmaids down.
Furious eyes glaring at their husband and handmaid.

Welcome to the Republic of Gilead

Where we take the tears of the over dramatic women,
Weaving them into the Handmaids guidebook,
Using the blood of those who disobey as burgundy ink:
1. One should listen
2. One should not speak up
3. One should not get a say in their body
The cardinal rules that define the new republic; Make America Great Again.

The constitution is paused; rape no longer exists; it’s ingrained in the ritual of procreation;
autonomy no longer matters;
choices no longer needed; especially for the
women in the scarlet gowns.

Welcome to the New Republic of Gilead; coming to you in the near future (it has already started!)…stay tuned.