Garden Goddess
Jonathan Kozol is one of my favorite writers. I found him through his book “The Night Is Dark and I Am Far From Home” writing on schools. In a later version he apologizes for the rant of this original work and says he would tame it down.
Personally, I like the first version just fine.
I do not wish to be toned down or civilized.
Paraphrasing him: I do not wish to raise my hand and politely request if I may, please, start the revolution now. Or wait until I get permission.
I did not spend the last 40 years of my life discovering the goddess in me only to bend my knee before someone else’s version of a male divinity.
I do not wish to beg to have the right to determine whether or not and how I choose to have, or not have children.
I do not intend to leave my granddaughter and grandson a world where women have the choice of being barefoot and pregnant or being barefoot and pregnant.
I will not apologize for being aggressive about this.
I will not ask permission, I will take it.
And I will not back down.
Those are words that should never be apologized for. Things that demand an apology are things like suggesting that it is okay that those in poverty should pay more in taxes; that the free market without any regulation will always “do the right thing”; to deny that each of us have any responsibility to anyone other than ourselves; to believe that it is somehow honorable to fail to pay living wages to public servants and workers; that wealth somehow entitles someone to a free ride. Those are things that need an apology. Last I looked, we still have freedom of or freedom from religion, but maybe not for too much longer if our children or grandchildren must be taught that creationism has as much value as Mendel or Darwin (their work is proven scientifically). Folks we are in a fight and a nasty one to determine the type of society that we will have and it’s fight or flight time. Which do you want, the gilded age or Camelot? If you opt for the gilded age, it will be a cage for most of us. In the age of Camelot at least we cared about each other and thought we had an obligation to make the world at least seem to be better. Which will you own and what will you fight for?