Wore green shoes –
a shock of colour
to highlight business –
attire aimed to succeed.
Walked ten blocks
rode fourteen floors
passed security,
heels continually clicking.
Navigating male-dominated
passages, I was driven
ignored patronizing comments
exercised for corporate ladder
But the lies, the betrayal,
the dirty little secrets,
they taunted me –
sold me out in back rooms
Broke under pressure
vile accusations, improper
propositions – How did
gender equate with progress
How did firmness of pert
breasts, the flash of muscled
calves, exempt me from rising –
Why should my efforts fall short
By refusals to drop my panties
and who could I go to –
boss and boss’s boss
all male, in on the plots
Big business banking –
financially fruitful
personally demoralizing –
I walked away, morals intact.
(For Reena’s Exploration Challenge:featured image. Sexual harassment was rampant during the 70’s and 80’s. Although we have known progress, the struggle for equality continues.)
One Woman's Quest 