What Happened to Women?

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not all superheroes wear capes
some wear shin guards
and headbands crafted from pre-wrap
and cleats laced with determination
sometimes lasers come out of feet
instead of eyes
did anyone else see the
the fireballs they unleashed

as those streaks of white lightning
and red and blue striped moxie
lit up the soccer fields of France
I said to my 5 year old daughter
look how they conquer
look at the fearlessness
see it’s not only men we cheer for it’s
not only men that make it onto our big screens
it’s not only men that can have big dreams

from afar we adored them as they scored
and soared to the very summit of sport
we marveled as they sparkled
we followed those rocket’s red glares
into a sky of triumph
and watched as three stars became four
then came the parades
the victory tour, the awards
the immortalization
forging their place in history
next to the 91, 99, and 15 teams
2019 world champions

now, it’s 2023
time to fire up the lasers
re-lace the cleats
and go for the three peat
only this time, come to find
that one of the European teams
is comprised completely
of players that only recently
identified as women
our ladies lose in the quarterfinals
to the eventual winners

2027 we return
to reclaim that holy golden grail
to prevail
we’re going to need to tip the scales
back in our favor
now to make the U.S. women’s national team
you need to have been born a male
you need to have the right level of testosterone
the proper bone density and muscle tone
and the proper swatch of X and Y chromosomes
to participate on this pitch
this
is the new patriarchy

my daughter, who’s now thirteen
appeals to me
and says Daddy
you told me there was a field for my dreams
what happened

how do I explain this
special kind of thievery
do I tell her
it turns out there’s nothing special about a woman
you’re just a man without the machinery

do I tell her
there can be no more tomboys
only toms and boys

because we were so transfixed on being woke
we nixed an entire gender
we conspired in the genocide of femininity
in the name of Equality we Acted
to destroy
and now the dissonance is deafening
this is the reckoning

what happens to the women’s world cup?
to the WNBA
to women’s gymnastics and track and figure skating
tennis, volleyball, cycling, softball and swimming
what happens when all the games they fought for so long
just to be able to play
are taken away

what happens when
all those little girls that were so inspired by their wonder women
grow up
and are left to wonder
what happened
to women