My mother did not forge tech innovation,
didn’t win Olympic medals, didn’t write
a textbook on equal rights.
But she did run for office. And won.
She coached the soccer team so girls could play.
At church, she led the people from the pew.
And she started a company so my father
could leave his job. I don’t think
she thought of herself as an activist.
She’ll be surprised, perhaps, I see her this way—
as a leader, a role model, an example
of a gender equal world. Because of her,
I never felt less than. Because of her,
I could see myself as doctor, poet,
model, president. Because of her,
I know how to scratch my children’s heads
each night before sleep. How
to make up a song when life is too much.
How to cry for beauty and love.
How to notice and praise
what is right with the world.