Unnamed

(a poem)

The unnamed women

have names 

     their mothers called them;

have names 

     their children know; 

have names 

     that children from other mothers 

     cherish in their hearts

Names 

     which are spoken 

     in languages most will never learn. 

The unnamed women 

have names 

They shape people. 

They birth nations. 

They are architects of history. 

They are the first educators 

     of the geniuses among us. 

They are 

     priestess,

     prophetess,

     minister,

     shaman,

     holy women. 

The unnamed women

have names. 

When we speak of history;

when we think of the brilliant minds 

     in our midst;

when we explore new worlds

let us 

gently 

reverently 

remember 

celebrate 

the names 

of the unnamed women

who have nursed 

and nurtured it all;

who have held 

all mystery 

and discovery 

against their breasts. 

The unnamed women

have names. 

-- bss2017