The Charge of the MAD Goddess
In the tradition of Baba Yaga, the witch woman,
and Stara Buba, the crazy old woman
we are the MAD Goddess women.
We sound the call of our sisters.
We invoke the spirits of all our crazy women folk—
wild women who have come before us.
We are the granddaughters
of the witches who didn’t burn.
We lay claim to the power of the Goddess within.
We declare our right and
privilege of sovereignty.
We shall be forgetful without apology,
disagree when it suits us,
say NO like we mean it.
We charge forth, a brigade of
courageous, outrageous, umbrageous women
brightly regaled in orchid and orange
in tiger stripe and leopard print
in minis and maxis and moo moos
or whatever we damn well please
regardless of age and rules
for we are forever ageless
and always unruly.
Henceforth we shall stop doing what we should
and start doing what we’ve always know we could.
We shall dance!
Alone or in circle with not a care
to who may be watching.
We shall live this second half of life with Attitude.
This is how midlife and beyond shall be.
Because we said so,
that’s why.