"Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana
She fingers the chopsticks
she tucked in the side of her pants
when they left the banquet hall. A souvenir to remember
the donation her lover made
to “Wake up America before it’s too late”
to “Restore America’s decency laws”
to “Return to the values of our American Fathers”
During the car ride home, they jab
the under part of her ribs
She shifts her shoulders
to dislodge them
from her flesh
“When did they stop teaching American history?”
the speaker blared
She barely makes it to the porch without
one of them sliding down her leg. He kisses her
goodnight, waiting for the invitation
that doesn’t come
“Don’t tread on me,” cried the man at the podium
She kisses him back, one hand
on the small of his neck, the other
on the door behind her
She navigates her dark
entryway, taking small measured steps
“This is my country and I'm not surrendering it”
Blood splashes
the white floor of her tidy bathroom
“They took history out of our schools!”
Lest she would’ve known
to use
a coat hanger
Author Bio:
Pamela Emigh Murphy is a teacher, sister, wife, and proud mother of two sons who love and value the women in their lives. She is a founding member of Straw Mat, a women’s writing group in Rochester, NY. While she has a particular interest in issues that continue to confront women into the 21st century, she works to challenge the social prescriptions of gender, with the hope of improving the lives of both men and women. She is a professor of English at Monroe Community College where she teaches women’s literature, American literature, and courses that explore the intersections of science and the humanities. As a ghost-writer, she has authored two articles published in The Alpenhorn, a national magazine publication for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America and recipient of the prestigious Maxwell Medallion Award from the Dog Writers Association of America. She busies herself with bird watching, agility dog contests, and reading incessantly. Her favored pastime is simply being (and writing, of course).
condemned to repeat it."
- George Santayana
She fingers the chopsticks
she tucked in the side of her pants
when they left the banquet hall. A souvenir to remember
the donation her lover made
to “Wake up America before it’s too late”
to “Restore America’s decency laws”
to “Return to the values of our American Fathers”
During the car ride home, they jab
the under part of her ribs
She shifts her shoulders
to dislodge them
from her flesh
“When did they stop teaching American history?”
the speaker blared
She barely makes it to the porch without
one of them sliding down her leg. He kisses her
goodnight, waiting for the invitation
that doesn’t come
“Don’t tread on me,” cried the man at the podium
She kisses him back, one hand
on the small of his neck, the other
on the door behind her
She navigates her dark
entryway, taking small measured steps
“This is my country and I'm not surrendering it”
Blood splashes
the white floor of her tidy bathroom
“They took history out of our schools!”
Lest she would’ve known
to use
a coat hanger
Author Bio:
Pamela Emigh Murphy is a teacher, sister, wife, and proud mother of two sons who love and value the women in their lives. She is a founding member of Straw Mat, a women’s writing group in Rochester, NY. While she has a particular interest in issues that continue to confront women into the 21st century, she works to challenge the social prescriptions of gender, with the hope of improving the lives of both men and women. She is a professor of English at Monroe Community College where she teaches women’s literature, American literature, and courses that explore the intersections of science and the humanities. As a ghost-writer, she has authored two articles published in The Alpenhorn, a national magazine publication for the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America and recipient of the prestigious Maxwell Medallion Award from the Dog Writers Association of America. She busies herself with bird watching, agility dog contests, and reading incessantly. Her favored pastime is simply being (and writing, of course).
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