My mother spoke of respect, demanded it

As her mother had demanded it

As her mother had demanded it

And so I am the progeny of respect, as are you

Husbands implanted them

As your father implanted me

We walked head bowed

With tiny steps, with tiny feet

Behind, always behind

Never seeing the sky or stars

They put us where and how they wanted us

And used us as they would

What could we do

We talked and giggled among ourselves

Made crude jokes at our husbands' expense

That was all we could do

The men built the walls and raised the roofs

That protected us, and kept us within

One day we rose up and said enough

And our men crumbled like so much sand

We understood that what we had, they wanted

More than what we wanted from them