Menstrual Hut

By Opal Palmer Adisa

women go

to the hale pe’a

in hawaii

nourish their power

restore balance

jah-man

nu wan him woman

cook food

during dat time

stories whispered

nu eat stew peas

from any woman

yu can never tell

it will bind

cast a spell

tie you to her

forever

simbu people

of papua new guinea

among indonesians

west africans

almost everywhere

sister-to-sister

relief from work

break from men

removed from the community

they told stories

guarded their solitude

grew powerful

influenced

the men

using their blood

real sometimes staged

to clear a space

for feminine

positioning

most times

i’m an even-tempered

congenial person

some even say

i’m gregarious

but not today no private room

or isolated contentment

give me

shared space

where women-to-women

gather

laugh at man’s folly

and squash his fear

a menstrual hut

where women can just be

in charge of

nature’s energy

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