The Speeches

Janice Exter Konstantinidis ♦ June 27, 2022 ♦ Leave a comment

I watched in awe at what I saw,

I felt a sense of calm;

from words thus spoke,

would angst revoke, spreading like a balm.

Four years of mounting anger, combined with growing fear, 

were lessened with each word I heard, the danger much less clear.

A growing sense of purpose, a vast internal sigh,

I felt I had a voice once more; no more would I decry.

The poison of deluded minds, insanity ever-present,

I felt freedom seldom mine; now could I dissent.

Accustomed to a monotone, my ears picked up the new,

tones of excitation and the words that rang so true.

There were years that I was witness to a growing disenfranchisement,

of many so deceived by blatant aggrandizement;

by autocratic propaganda, echoing times to me, of moral deprivation.

When evil striped identity from millions in a nation.

Democracy shone from every vote

in every eye, and dare I quote:

“Let us be the nation we know we can be.”

I felt these words were so well said and indeed included me.

Decency, good values, abundantly expressed;

a forgotten sense of value, I suddenly felt blessed.

I felt my eye begin to fill, 

and tears on my cheeks did spill.

I’d longed for years to hear the voice of clarity and reason;

it seemed to me that what I’d heard were undoubtedly those of treason.

I am grateful beyond these words, to let the nation lay,

in the hands of those who love it well, and this I have to say,

Let there be a peace of mind, spread far across our land,

respecting each for whom they are; let rational minds up-stand.

Janice Konstantinidis.

11/7/2020

Roe v. Wade

Who dares to tell me what to do
with my body.
My body.
Any woman’s body,
Who among you decided that you were
the omniscient ones who knew
all about me and my right to own my body!
Who among you will take care of the
child you fought so hard to have me bear?
Will you feed the child, educate, and keep them safe?
Will you give me assurance that I will have employment
to give a child all they need at any point
in their development?
Can you assure me that my mental health will remain
intact?
The Supreme Court of the United States has taken over
my body.

Six people with the effrontery to believe they are wiser
than I am in this very personal matter.
How dare six of nine Justices tell me and millions of
other women that we should give birth to a child,
come what may!
Who granted you the power to make this decision?
Was this matter not dealt with in 1973?
Conservative religious zealots that you are.
Convinced that human life is superior to any
another life form; moreover, convinced that
a fetus that is unable to sustain life outside
the womb must be protected at any cost.
A retrograde stand was taken by six moronic
people. A mindset that has plunged us into
an abyss of despair,
How dare you!
Conservative religious connivance on the
part of certain Justices of the Supreme Court
of America has snaked its way into the lives
of women who thought they were free to
decide about pregnancy.
An archaic mold which, if not stopped,
will darken the lives of other groups than
women.
We must stand up. We must fight.
You will not tell me/us what we/I can do
with my body.

How dare you!