You say women and children first
But you don’t give a damn
About us the minute we are out
Treading water,
Gasping for air.
You make us wade
Through the waves
While you ignore
The graves you create
With your thoughtless policies
And your foul ideologies.
You deflate our vests
And ignore our protests;
You leave us with nothing
But an oar
To roe our boat
Through an ugly storm,
And we wonder if we’ll
Wash ashore.
You say women and children first
But you treat us
Like second class citizens.
You leave us
In the storm you stirred up;
You leave us
As the water fills our lungs
And the tide engulfs our
Power and pride,
All while you stand tall
As self-named heroes;
All while you bask in your glory
With no care for the mother,
Nor the child you say you fight for.
And so while you watch
From your high seat on deck,
Those limp bodies and faint voices below
Are fighting relentlessly
Against the current.