CAN YOU HEAR THE VOICES OF THE WOMEN?

1

Can you hear
the voices
of the women

above the clamour of
computers firing off form letters
to all the dear sirs in the land

the munching of machines
gobbling up raw cotton
like there was no tomorrow

the SOS of dishes drowning
in a grease-filled sink?

2

Can you hear the voices of
the women

above the whoosh of waters breaking
and the uncertain beating
of a foetal heart

above the everlasting agony of
babies with three month bloody colic

above the noise of little boys
demanding food and football kits and me first
and-now-isn’t-he-the spitting-image-of-his-father?

Above the silence of the daughters
who’ve discovered on the school bus
Mother Eve’s an outcast?

3

Can you hear the voices of the women

above the whistles from the curbs that crawl
with packs of itchy urban wolves in jeans and leathers

through the walls that leak
the smack of fists on flesh
cracking ribs
blacking eyes
breaking promises
and jaws
and spirits?

4

Can you hear the voices of the dead
and buried women
thin as smoke
above the roar
of inquisitor
and the flames which snapped and licked and leapt
melting the wisdom
of ash-white witches

above the flute which called the tune for
tiny dancing feet
bound back on themselves
trailing blood and lotus blossoms

above the whisper of the pages when
a writer’s name was exorcised and
replaced with a man’s?

5

Can you hear the sweet
strong voices
of the young women
of Pakistan
above the bullets of the Taliban
Ssshh listen!
They are opening their books
Reading aloud
Speaking at the UN.

Can you hear the voices
behind the balaclavas
of the brave
young Russian women
above the clang of prison gates
the screams of convicts driven mad
by beatings
lack of soap and water
and sleep?
Listen! Their peaceful protest
Their Punk Prayer
Still echoes round Moscow’s
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour
appealing to the Holy Virgin
to ‘chase Putin out’.

6

Can you hear them

The voices of the
cradle rocking, vicar shocking
wedding marching, collar starching
kitchen mopping, karate chopping
burger frying, airplane flying
low pay earning, bugger, it’s burning
channel swimming, can’t, I’m slimming
time clock punching, chocolate munching

taxi driving, late arriving
tatie peeling, virginia reeling
trolley pushing, children shushing
mountain climbing, silly rhyming
cocktail shaking, history making
tennis playing, baby weighing
toe nail clipping, red wine sipping

bingo calling, overhauling
poultry plucking, nip and tucking
opera singing, Highland flinging
story telling, heather selling
marathon running, backyard sunning
salad dressing, mother confessing
guitar strumming, conga drumming
soapbox thumping, parachute jumping

women?

Kathleen McCreery