A Revolution



A Revolution is set up as a play with multiple voices describing abuses experienced by women in various settings. The objective is to view the subject from various perspectives which can be followed by a conversation. The play can be read by women to women or a mixed audience, and men can be among the voices participating.



 



A Revolution



Part 1. The Accusations



Narrator



First came the accusations



And then the denials;



The charges are years beyond the offense.



Is the evidence credible



Enough for trial?



In the court of public opinion,



The claims are not common,



But do they make sense?



 



Should we believe the accusations



Against a good man’s reputation?



The charges circling, as vultures



Above their prey,



Should we believe, without provocation,



That she vetoes and says no,



And he blatantly disobeys?



 



Truth



The women were emotionally maimed.



Their stories ring of truth, just as they claimed.



Men drunk with arrogance abused their role



And used their authority, as they stole



The women’s dignity through rabid threats,



That led to silence and regrets.



 



The women waited to report their claims.



They initially withheld their names.



They stood authentic, no imitations;



Beyond the statute of limitations;



Believable, regardless of their fears



And potential impact on their careers.



They are ready to face all obstacles;



Emboldened, by what now seems possible.



 



Narrator



Social media’s a fireside chat;



A platform and a habitat;



Where conflicts that are not resolved;



Can be aired, as they get involved;



Inspired they discuss despair;



And shared the hardships, hard to bear.



 



Truth



Ubiquitous publicity, widespread



Stories of women, misused, misled,



Spawned solidarity we rarely see;



#MeToo grew exponentially;



An avalanche formed, rumbling down a slope;



A platform branched, and it is giving hope,



To hold on and watch, as more industries,



See more women disclose their injuries.



 



Brave souls stepped out of shadows,



As in a roll call, identified



Themselves and stood



Side by virtual side;



No longer feeling the need to hide;



No more thoughts of the gauntlet



Of condescension;



Accused of baiting scandals



With false intentions.



 



Conscience



The number of women coming forth



Should not surprise us.



They have always been there.



And if we analyze us



And open our eyes



To the stark reality



Of brutality,



It will come through,



That we always knew.



What we denied,



Was always true.



 



Truth



We hear the words



Of the victims,



We must believe;



For it is invariably, inevitably,



Overwhelmingly true.



#MeToo,                                    



Relates to me;



#MeToo,                                  



Relates to you.



 



 



Part 2. Testimonials



Narrator



Nightmare scenarios dismissed and unreported;



Their accounts of what happened, distorted;



Afraid, many have resorted



To bury their burden within,



To hide the memory and secrecy of sin,



Especially when abused by kin.



 



Truth



When malice strikes close to home,



To someone we know;



The aftershock has no afterglow;



A family member debased and defiled;



Emotions expressed, but not reconciled;



Relatives prone to denying;



Accusing their kin of lying.



 



She was vulnerable, unsafe,



And often with no means of escape.



She begged for belief, relief and rescue,



To help her remove the residue;



But it happened far too often;



When he died she looked in his coffin



And wanted to spit on him, as he lay



There still, no longer able



To take her against her will.



She quietly cursed him,



Content he would pay



Through torment and damnation



On Judgment Day.



                                              



Conscience



A teenaged victim washed incessantly.



She was not as clean



As she needed to be.



She wanted to remove the violation.



She felt dirty and demeaned.



She wanted more water and more soap



To cleanse her body and return the hope



And innocence, she experienced,



Before the offense.



 



Narrator



Sexual harassment has metastasized



And a day of reckoning is beckoning,



As Judgment Day and Karma have arrived;



And the past sins, even if repented,



Are being presented and resented.



 



We honor those who survived despite



The trauma who withstood the drama.



We honor those who did not survive



And those who, although disadvantaged;



Were able to strive



Until they managed to thrive.



 



Truth



Women wanted freedom to compose and identify



The offenders charged and to clarify



The details, to describe the incidents;



A sordid recount of the events,



Involving neighbors and presidents.



 



Narrator



Victims spoke their stories with conviction,



After years of denial, self-blame and addictions,



And the hesitancy to wrestle with shame,



For fear of others,



Thrashing and trashing their name.



 



Conscience



Anonymously and silently, men



Are having sleepless nights,



Nervously wondering if past deeds



Will come to light.



 



Part 3.  The Perpetrators Strike Back



Narrator



Power is not passive.



Power strikes back and goes



On the offensive,



With massive counter claims;



Relentless, intensive,



And launching a flurry of insults;



Claiming infidelity



Between consenting adults.



 



Truth



Power attacks character, pressing



The public into second guessing



Whether the women were really under duress;



Was body language and manner of dress



A method to signal their consent?



Did they somehow portray their intent



To curry special favors



For their labor?



 



Narrator



Something of value was removed.



He claimed she asked for it and she wanted it



And she approved.



He said she led him on and now has buyer’s remorse.



She changed her mind and mysteriously 



Believes she was taken by force.



 



Truth



The women said what they knew to be true;



Someone wondered if the defendants would sue.



Some of the women over time repressed



The memories, but no longer suppressed



Their accounts of the stories,



After scrolling through the inventories



Of events, the incidents and accidents,



They remembered the stress



And the recurring nightmare



Of feeling less



Than they deserved;



A recurring nightmare



Made them feel guilty,



Filthy, unnerved and under-served.



 



She had a gift that was only hers to give;



But it was taken and now as long as she lives,



She is reminded of something taken;



Her faith in men sullied and shaken.



 



Part 4. The Perpetrators’ Repentance



Conscience



A few perpetrators, conscience driven,



Asked for mercy and to be forgiven;



And offered apologies



For the selfish qualities



That caused them to intentionally



Or accidentally,



Hurt physically or mentally,



As they selfishly and recklessly



Robbed people of their dignity;



Against their will and conversations 



Revoked women’s rights and



Ignored their reservations.



 



They apologized after they were caught;



“Be aggressive” is what they were taught;



Obsession with sex is how they were trained.



It is how manhood was defined and obtained.



But, they should have known it was a mistake;



That rights are not something they should take.



 



Narrator



Men resigned from office and positions



Of power to show their true contrition;



For they are a liability,



For showing poor judgment,



And through the lens of interpretation,



Bad behavior that is an aberration



Is still considered a violation;



Which is open to dissemination.



 



 



Part 5.  Next Steps



Truth



The ladies expressed their tales of woe;



From feeling helpless with no place to go;



About disrespect that made them cry,



From feeling helpless and wanting to die;



And being belittled and made to feel,



The deed could not be true,



The deed could not be real.



 



Narrator



We see courageous women



Speaking about abuse;



Through their outrageous accounts



Of villains on the loose.



 



We are shocked and numb.



We were not aware.



For we did not know the acts existed,



That the pain was there;



Anonymously suffering and secretly



Wanting to speak out, so they could be free.



 



Truth



As we sit around and debate these facts,



Is the culture culpable in these acts?



The power dynamic and social views



Are we complicit when people abuse



And fail to listen when the victims speak,



Compromising the justice that they seek?



 



Conscience



We hear the stories and the outlook is sad.



The focus on these acts is not be a fad;



Corrective measures will be put in place



And penalties to prevent, punish and erase



The attitude and pervasive disdain,



Toward women who faced harassment’s pain.



 



Narrator



The vulnerable will be protected;



Not victimized and disrespected.



The laws on our books will be enforced



And values upheld and endorsed;



Inappropriate behavior defined;



Cherish accusers when they speak their minds;



Punish abusers when they cross the line,



Because harming the vulnerable



Should be seen as a crime



And the response should always be,



“Not in this lifetime”



Because everyone should equally



Have access to respect and dignity. 



Copyright © 2017 Orlando Ceaser

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