It was the day of the hearing from communities when they met with their representatives at the state capitol to lobby them on the achievement of the education gap.  I volunteered and documented the proceedings that day.

Although you are a beast of burden
within you lays a spirit of hope
always smiling despite the burden
that lingers on your head
you are courageous and mighty
you are powerful and as determined as a hunter
Meticulously stalking your prey
You feed your children
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

Your beauty torments the beholder
Your coffee chocolate skin enchants
men and women alike
One extraordinary thing about you is that
You do not need foreign/fake nails nor perfume from Arabia
Your strong dark curly hair makes you stand out like Alek  Wek
Besides your beauty, you are intelligent and fearless
Therefore, stand up and fight the good fight
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

For centuries you have been fighting a bloodless war
Your enemies are entwined in the minds of society
Extending their ruthless tentacles to instill fear in you
so that you succumb to their power and control forever
When you stand atop the mighty Mountains of the moon
You see them planning day and night to bring you down
They conceal their evil plans and assemble under darkness
To make you a drudgery of some sort
This you have rejected
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

You are my protégé
When I was still strong as morning day break
I whispered in your ears to be wary of the enemy in society
The enemy controls, dominates and despises your wisdom
The enemy fights wielding a blazed sword of patriarchy
Patriarchy the commander oppresses, squeezes his double edged blade into your mental faculty
Coaxing you to retreat and embrace the status quo
In the night the enemy gyrates to the sound of imbalance and inequality
Those are his babes he nurtures eternally
But you say no! To an eye for an eye
your tactic is a bloodless war
Your strategy is cajolery riding on persuasive advocacy
You simply clamor for equality, resources and opportunities
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

Culture the captain bellows yonder
lays bare his commands to you
Early marriage, no school, widow inheritance, you eat last and must have many children
Alas!  You have no control of your sexuality
Your father has control over you
Your brother has control over you
Your husband has control over you and you are his chattel
The dowry/bride price he donates to your family becomes his weapon of oppression
And this qualifies you to be his slave
The chauvinist!
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

Now swear on my bosom that you will continue with the struggle
I pass the mantle of power and wisdom on to you
Remember yours is a bloodless war
You simply sound the drums of equality, liberation and freedom
Your sisters across the seas are waiting for the sound of the drums
Remember the Beijing twelve
Those are foundations of the bloodless war
Take my sharpened spear into your right hand
Don the tigress cloak embellished with cowries and the beads from our ancestors
You will ride the lion, a symbol of authority and power
Across the roaring and thunderous River Nile you will fly like an eagle
Down the valley you will hear the moaning and groaning of your sisters
And this will inspire you and motivate you to embrace the battle
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

Imagine if there was a reversal of gender roles for one day
How would the men imbibe the content s of the caldron
Let the adversary feel the shackles of bondage that you have endured for centuries
Let them feel the lyrics of torment, discrimination, and deprivation
Let the dissenting cultural execution lap at their sinews
18 hours of labor a day!
Let oppression, exclusion, inequality, imbalance lap at their groin
Gender-based violence that succumbs individuality
Walking for miles in search of water and fuel wood
Toiling in the fields with a hand hoe until your palms become callous
Grappling with all other domestic chores
Let the sons of the oppressor feel the pulse
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

The tandem of procreation rolling by
At the appointed hour, the mighty contractions and the blinding pain humbles the mighty
The great push and your dignity flies out of the aperture
Now the tot has crowned! What a sight
Hold your breath, pull your legs, push your chin towards your chest
The shrills from the midwife commanding
Feeling the sharp spasms of childbirth
Piercing labor pains sent by the gods
What a nightmare!
Let the men hate the day they were born
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior

Now that the adversary has lapped at the concoction
Brewed in the caldron of oppression
A new revolution has begun
This is a new era, a new crusade
Rush to the negotiation table
Change the strategy, look straight into his eyes, engage the conversation
Because he now appreciates
You have worked so hard for centuries like a cotton-picker
But you have to cajole him, the cavalier, he can be obstinate like a mule at times
Whisper the sound and urgency of liberation, equality and freedom
And you have conquered the adversary and the world
Yes, you are the Bloodless She Warrior