Photography © Edward S. Gault

 

The Best

It was the screaming I didn’t expect
a block away
from the clinic

As I arrived
the picketers
were all lining both sides
of the street

Cursing and chanting
with children
they brought to use
as weapons

Whom they’ve trained
to yell, like them
at every arriving
frightened person

Attempting to guilt us
into submission
“I’ll take your child!”
they exclaim to every car passing

I can just imagine
the panic and stress these picketers have caused
to those who are religious
and already feeling guilt and loss

I was lucky because this was a decision I never once questioned
I also had the support of my friends and my family

My mother and I were disgusted
as we walked by
knowing that these people
hurt and push their victims towards suicide

they would rather that
than have any true respect
for lives

Now I realize
that this was the best
we had arrived at
in our backsliding country

That
getting harassed
on the way to a lifesaving procedure
was how far we were able
to progress

before having our futures
and freedom stripped away
by the evangelical
political leaders
of the U.S.A.

 

Julianne Powers is an artist and writer from South Shore Massachusetts, now residing in Southern Maine. She is an aspiring poet and musician, working on writing her first book. Much of her time is spent writing, painting, and gardening. She’s studied and practiced classical guitar, as well as herbalism, for many years. She has studied under many teachers such as world renown classical guitarist Aldo Manella of Milan, Italy and American Herbalist Guild teacher and author, Maria Noel Groves AHG.

Edward S. Gault is a poet and fine art photographer. He lives at Mosaic Commons, a co-housing community in Berlin, Ma.