I am tired of differences–
tell me again how this body
is pulled by the moon
in its tides, hormones
alternately softening minds
and sharpening tongues
as if somehow female minds are less
because ovaries steep thoughts in estrogen
until they are pink and sweet, too soft
to spin equations with imaginary numbers
girls do not have days everywhere,
only nights where they wane and wax,
sometimes aberrantly chasing sun in daylight,
anemic silver pressed fainting into blue,
the moon in her cycles and circles a cool mirror
for us, where the sun is male.
before we were moons only Aditi, the light keeper
birthed the universe. Aine first sparked life.
Akycha was the polar sun who climbed sky after her rape.
Amaterasu still rises, the great shining heaven,
a red circle on a white flag. Bast was the cat goddess
of sunsets and fertile rays coaxing seed from the earth.
Beiwe poured light like water on growing things
and they reached for her with an intensity like thirst.
Bila the cannibal simmered flesh over her giant flame,
until she was chained to earth and left to tend the sun.
brigid glows in all things fire. shy Chup-Kamui
traded places with the sun god because
the passion she shone on at night made her blush.
Coyote charmed Hekoolas to light the world.
Pattini radiates the sun’s heat. Olwen rolled in the sky–
a heavy gold wheel.
Saule/Sunna/Sol/Xatel-Ekwa/Wurusemu/Arinna
galloped towards sunset, teaming their horses.
Sekhmet’s hunger was the heat of drought and famine.
Shapash carried light into the land of the dead.
Uelanuhi separated time.
Walo and Wuriupranili walked sky,
arcing over the earth.
before we were made less
the sun could be a goddess
or tend it like a cooking fire
or drive it across the sky
today’s sun is shared
so let the girls stretch to meet it.
it is their day
***my poem for tomorrow–the International Day of the Girl Child. Thanks to Boomie for critiquing this for me!
Susan Daniels Poetry 
Extraordinary poem.
Julie, thank you. This was a tough one to put out there.
I have to look up some of the words!
if it makes you feel any better, I am NEVER reading this one in public, because I will butcher those names.
Powerful, evocative and full of information yet still a magnificent poem. Given the insane misogyny around the globe, everyone needs to support events like the International Day of the Girl Child.
David, thank you! I was thinking today of how we always call the moon female, and was wondering if that was always the case–if there were times and people who saw the sun as female. It was quite an education.
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Like. The power is there, and needlessly feared. So much we lose through oppression. Where would our civilisation be, speaking on a world scale and not the American one, had we embraced an overriding commitment to be all one wishes to be, without conditions on who qualifies to be in such fertile space?
Nelle–exactly. We have shortchanged ourselves as humans, through oppressing based on gender, race, etc., for far too long. Today is the day for girl children worldwide. Perhaps we can learn a few things that will help us change whom we allow to grow in that space.
Susan…you know how i feel about this poem. I applaud you!
Thank you, nwannem.
mythology and gender meet in this masterly, sorry, wonderfully crafted stroll through cultures and time into the present, challenging gender discriminations!
Noel–thanks much–least I could do for the girls.
You should tell Boomie, “O se, awon ara mi”!
Hmmm–may I ask what I am telling her, then? All I know is the “my/mine”–I think, at the end. I think I need another Igbo lesson…
I suspect she is Yoruba…and you said “thank you” to her in Igbo!
Hmmm–I thought I just called her my sister, in Igbo, because I know nothing of Yoruba. Heh–see, I do need another lesson, or 12…
I am Yoruba :). One Nigeria still lol
🙂 so how do I call you sister in Yoruba?
Such knowledge!
Thanks, Ken.
This was wonderful … and I loved the so many references from mythology … superb !!!
Oh, thanks so much!
Very powerful and well written.
Thanks, Celestine. Your comments are a huge encouragement!
Reblogged this on tooyoungtowed and commented:
One of our newest followers, Susan Daniels, wrote a really beautiful poem for Day of the Girl in October. Granted, we’re a tad late in discovering it, but we thought it was worth posting just the same. It’s quite moving, as are many of her other pieces. We hope you enjoy it–and share it.
Thank you so much! I am glad to share.