Matilda's Roses The Rose is bright & lovely, & so is truth when treated right, but do not treat her roughly Or the thorns of justice will smite, The hand that tries to bind us, & take away our rights! Matilda was a rose of truth, A beacon for us all, & her many daughters carry on, Always answering the call! We bloom into righteous women, Speaking up in marble halls, Gathering our sisters, Helping each other when we fall. Beautiful in her strength, Glorious, like a blooming rose. She glowed with righteous justice, The golden road of equity she chose. She was the inspiration for Dorothy, A feminist trailblazer child, Oz was birthed through her dreams for equity, And so a better world Baum styled, Based on friendship, kindness, and equality, A place for all to live as one, But it was Matilda who gave this fantasy breath, And through her fire the fight begun. Through speeches, books, and papers, She fought for equity & rights for all. But she died before seeing justice, Though votes for women were installed, Not everyone won freedom, Though slowly, walls did fall. Matilda's story is rarely told, She was an early white ally, She stood for EVERYONE oppressed, On this hill of justice she would die. She was Abolitionist, Suffragette, & "She Who Holds Up the Sky," She was an early vegetarian, & “Separation of Church & State!” was her cry. We must never forget her, & her stalwart belief in rights, For EVERYONE oppressed, Not just for privileged & whites. We must go to her home on the Underground Railroad, & place our "I voted!" stickers, On Matilda Joslyn Gage's gravestone! For it was SHE, not Anthony, who had the rigor, To work so hard for one and all, To receive justice, rights, and equity, Whether Black, White, or Indigenous, She understood the intersections & complexity. We must never forget Matilda, And how Roses were her flower, They are beautiful in their justice, But are sharp if you forget their power.

For #InternationalWomensDay #WomensHistoryMonth let's celebrate Abolitionist & Suffragette Leader #MatildaJoslynGage

My poem Matilda's Roses w/ my photos, on cards on my site & at the #MatildaJoslynGageCenter gift shop, in my print & audiobook, & poster below!

#EastCoastKin

See #AltText for poem