A heart full of plans

mylifeasafeminista:

Sonya Renee Taylor, “What Women Deserve”

Culturally-diversified biracial girl with
a small diamond nose ring and a pretty smile
poses besides the words 
“Women Deserve Better”. 

and I almost let her non-threatening grin
begin to infiltrate my psyche 
until I read the unlikely small print
at the bottom of the ad: 
Sponsored by the US Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities 
and the Knights of Columbus 

On a bus 
in a city 
with a population of 553,000, 
4 teenage mothers on the bus with me,
1 Latina woman with 3 children under 3 
and no signs of a daddy. 

One sixteen year old black girl 
standing in 22-degree weather 
with only a sweater 
a book bag 
and a bassinette,
with an infant that ain’t even four weeks yet
tell me that Yes …. 

Women do deserve better. 

Women deserve better 
than public transportation rhetoric 
from the same people who 
won’t give that teenage mother 
a ride to the next transit. 
Won’t let you talk to their kids about safer sex
Have never had to listen as the door SLAMS 
behind the man who adamantly says,
“That shit” ain’t his 
leaving her to wonder how she’ll raise this kid. 

Women deserve better 
than the 300 dollars TANF and AFC 
will provide that family of three
or the 6 dollar an hour job at KFC
with no benefits for her new baby
or the college degree she may never see
because you can’t have infants at the university 

Women deserve better 
than lip service paid for by politicians 
who have no alternatives to abortion 
though I am sure 
right this moment one of their seventeen year old daughters 
is sitting in a clinic lobby 
sobbing quietly and anonymously
praying parents don’t find out
or will be waiting for mom to pick her up because research shows 
that out-of-wedlock childbirth doesn’t look good on political polls and 
Daddy ain’t having that. 

Women deserve better 
than backwards governmental policies 
that don’t want to pay 
for welfare for kids
or health care for kids 
or child care for kids
Don’t want to pay living wages to working mothers, 
Don’t want to make men who only want to be last night’s lovers 
responsible for the semen they lay. 

Flat out don’t want to pay for SHIT
but want to control the woman who’s having it.
Acting outraged at abortion.
Well I’m outraged 
that they want us to believe 
that they believe 
that women deserve better. 

The Vatican won’t prosecute pedophile priests
But I decide I’m not ready for motherhood
and it’s condemnation for me
These are the same people who won’t support 
national condom distribution to prevent teenage pregnancy.
But women deserve better. 

Women deserve better 
than back-alley surgeries 
that leave our wombs barren and empty.
Deserve better 
than organizations bearing the name 
of land-stealing racist rapists 
funding million dollar campaigns on subway trains
with no money to give these women
while balding middle-aged white men
tell us what to do with our bodies
while they wage wars and kill other people’s babies 

So maybe women deserve better 
than propaganda and lies
to get into office
Propaganda and lies 
to get into panties
to get out of court
to get out of paying child support 

Get the fuck out of our decisions
and give us back our voice
Women do deserve better
Women deserve choice

(via universallypopularandwellliked)