The Susan B. Anthony Poetics School
This important poetics school, named after noted feminist Susan B. Anthony, celebrates the role of modern women in today’s society and seeks to put them in their proper place. At once illuminating and inspiring, the Susan B. Anthony poets are noted particularly for their nuanced sensitivity and a (somewhat) deep regard for equal rights.
Tom Delay
b. 1947
Former Speaker of the House Tom DeLay, affectionately nicknamed “The Hammer,” wields that hammer in this poem to hammer home a key feminist point: Women can provide stability.*
It Takes a Woman. And More.
A woman
can take care of the family.
It takes a man
to provide structure
to provide stability.
Not that a woman can’t provide stability, I’m not saying that . . .
It does take a father, though.
* Not by themselves, though.
Real Housewife of Orange County
Alexis Bellino
b. 1976
Alexis Bellino is a “star” on reality TV show The Real Housewives of Orange County. As such, she offers the reader a “real” insight as to the strides made in the women’s movement, particularly in regard to women’s role in modern marriage.
My Marriage
I think America is going through
a liberal movement,
and the older, more traditional marriage values
are becoming something of the past.
Jim and I are one couple who still favor
a more traditional marriage
rather than a liberal marriage, and because we do,
it makes my marriage an interesting conversation topic.
However just because we have a more traditional marriage does not mean I do not make my own decisions.
As you can see just in this one episode,
I chose to wear the dress I wanted,
not the dress
that was Jim’s first choice.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
b. 1923
A simple yet resonant poem by the ruler of Saudi Arabia, “The Rights of Women” offers an enlightened international view.
The Rights of Women
I believe strongly in the rights of women.
My mother is a woman,
my sister is a woman,
my daughter is a woman,
my wife is a woman.
I believe the day will come when women drive.
(The issue will require patience.
In time, I believe it will be possible.
And
I believe
patience is a virtue.)
Rush Limbaugh
b. 1951
The final example of leading poets in the Susan B. Anthony School is the following work by pundit Rush Limbaugh. Consider this a manifesto, if you will, of the enlightened conservative male regarding the woman of today, and savor the verbal wink at the end.
I Just Flew In From Vegas and, Boy, Are My Arms Tired
I’m a huge supporter of women. What I’m not is a supporter of liberalism.
Feminism is what I oppose.
Feminism has led women astray.
I love the women’s movement
especially when walking behind it.