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chains of imbalance
the scales of justice
tipped with unrest.
one side in death valley
and the other near mount everest.
one side in shackles
and the other bound free.
one side forced to cover their façade
with masks of masculinity
to cover their narrow noses
just for a sip of freedom,
while the other side was lavished
in goblets of opportunity
walking their earth drunk
on their own dirty fortune.
but one weight
snuck onto the other side,
past the eyes of earth
and into the arms of peril.
led by her aspiration,
a soldier she became.
a wolf in sheep’s clothing,
a woman in a man’s uniform.
the world’s hands
stripped her of her garb
and indulged in her secret.
“a female army soldier,” they said.
“nothing more,” chanted the people.
but Cathay Williams continued on
behind the stage curtain
averted from the eyes of the audience.
her story spilled over
to the other plate of the scale
as whispers took to the air
with inspiration abloom.
the weights down in the underworld
stopped waiting for permission
to execute their fantasies.
a staircase to olympus
was their vision,
and a reality it became.
the scales of justice leaned,
and the women of the balance
saw the sun for the first time.
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