“Woman with skirt up run faster than man with pants down”

Ask your mother this:  As a woman have you ever felt threatened or unsafe or less-than because of a man? Ask her.  Did you tell anyone?  Every time?  Call the cops?  File a complaint?

My story is not remarkable, ask any woman.  Not including the boyfriend who abused me in multiple ways and broke my rib, just the ones that come to mind easily… When I was 6, a bunch of older boys stole my books and harassed me and asked me to show my underwear. -I was timid but I did it because I needed my books back. I told my mother and she told me no matter what anyone said or did, I should never let anyone make me do anything.

You can get it if you really want

“‘Cause as sure as the sun will shine

I’m gonna get my share now, what’s mine”

I AM going to get my share of the truth, of respect, of human rights!!

“But I’d rather be a free man in my grave

Than living as a puppet or a slave”

Fitting epitaph for anyone   (above from “The Harder They Come” )

Rivers of Babylon
© Marion Pennell

Public seating

On a packed express bus, with all of us now in winter gear, I made my way to the rear.  It is less crowded there, and often someone will get off at the next stop.  Through all the standing people, I came to the back to see a seat with a backpack, so I motioned to the guy absorbed with his laptop to move it, and as cheerfully as possible mentioned that there were a lot of people standing for him to leave his bag on the seat.  “Oh I didn’t notice,” pointing at his laptop.

Sure.

©2005 Marion Pennell

Winter comes early

Some are ideally suited for winter and the cold.

©2002 Marion Pennell

Heather spelled backwards

 

Every girl was hopeful at one time.
©2001 Marion Pennell

Who are these men?

http://yesmeansyesblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/meet-the-predators/

“The overwhelming prevalence of acquaintance over stranger rapes and of intoxication over overt force, and the relative rarity of weapon use and physical injuries, is easily explained. Rapists know what works. They like to rape, they want to keep doing it, they want not to be caught. It is in their interest to be very sensitive to which accounts of rape are believed and which are attacked and to know which targets and methods are lowest-risk for them.

What they do is what works. They rape their drunk acquaintances because it works. They rape their drunk acquaintances because we let them.”

Hommage à Pollock

Nature

First snow in St Henri

November 16, 2014 and the snow falls on the Christmas decorations that have been out for almost one week.  I did not know Cinderella was featured with Santa or Jesus!

Christmas begins early in St. Henri

Expanding your borders, exceeding your limits

Long ago, as with many novice painters, I was a little intimidated by my canvas.  I plopped my subject down in the middle, and filled in a background.  At the time I was very pleased with my efforts. Now they look like floating heads to me (thirty plus years on…)

© Marion Pennell

Here Comes The Sun

Somewhere in the world someone is working on a new energy source.  Solar panels are still big and expensive and rare.  Once installed, things are great, but few are able to switch over. Somewhere in the world someone is figuring out a way to make an accessible cheap small solar panel.  There is an energy source that a woman in Afghanistan, and a man in New York City, will be able to use for heat and power.  Equally.

People laugh when I say someone is working on this.  There have been other industrial upsets in history – the automobile, refrigeration, television, the internet – that can render previous industries virtually obsolete overnight.

It was ninety-six years ago today

Canada has cemeteries of our war dead on foreign soil.  I visited one in Arnhem, Netherlands.  That, you never forget.

 

I was taught to read poetry – not line by line – but pausing with the actual punctuation.  It is so much more lyrical that way.

©2001 Marion Pennell