women march...a continuum

somewhere near the maumee river

in downtown toledo ohio in 1956
my mother with her large handbag
over her shoulder and our hands
moving together like poetry
passing out flyers
for adlai stevenson
a small crowd would gather
     ya know my mother was a real looker
and then her voice would rise above the mumble
     "o.k. shopworkers, this is the time for change
     take a flyer & pass it on...and don't forget to
     support bud ashley for congress."

or the time my mother

     from the housewares department
& the women clerks from tiedtke's department store
marched out on strike for several days
because the company refused to renew
a contract with the workers
and my mom seeing every sales woman
from every floor pour out of the doors
and stand in the street
all heads up high
& my mom saying we're going to win
this one
and we did

so even though i walked with

mister zimmerman to shul on many friday nights
     he & his wife lived upstairs & owned the old frame house
     we lived in downstairs on moore street
i wasn't brought up with what you might call orthodoxy
in fact when i asked my cousin
     "well, what does your family believe in"
she gave me the most direct answer
     "brotherhood...sisterhood"
     that's all?
yeah she answered
that's plenty

--- e b bortz