Pie and Postcards

On Sunday a few women gathered at my friend's house for what we ended up calling "Pie and Postcards." We sat around her kitchen table having Apple Mango Crisp with vanilla ice cream and coconut milk whipped cream. We were armed with pens, postcards and the addresses of our state senators.

After writing a couple cards each, we had our crisp and discussed various topics including the disgrace the president has brought to the United States of America, the disregard of people and the current administration toward the environment, women's rights now and how they were treated in the work place less than 50-70 years ago, current women's pay inequality, the refugee situation, the proposed wall and how we the American people are going to end up paying for it whatever the president says, arts and humanities funding (we were a group of artists), and reliable news sources. And in the background played songs of the sixties and seventies with an occasional protest song coming on.

My two finished postcards and a stack of new ones to continue my action.

Being the youngest in the group by a couple decades, I didn't have the memories of growing up when women were barely starting to be seen as equal. I sat and listened to the other women's stories, tossed something in when I could and felt hopeful, sad, frustrated, powerful and yet so small. I keep asking myself, "what can I, one woman from the northwoods of Wisconsin actually do? Actually accomplish? Will this really make any difference?" And I remind myself one spark can light a flame, one 'snowflake' can cause an avalanche, one raindrop a flood, one grain of rice can tip the scales, one postcard change a mind. And if each "one woman" (or supporters) adds her (their) voice, adds her postcards, her spark, her snowflake, her raindrop, her grain of rice, we can create a change greater than anyone could have imagined.

So I write my postcards, add my voice, and hope someone else out there does the same. I hope that all of those other "one woman" thoughts remember, thanks to the Women's March, that they are not alone, that they are not just one woman anymore, that we will join together in our efforts and cause an avalanche of information, a flood of postcards on every senator's desk and the president's desk. We will tip the scales and *keep our fires burning strong* to exact the change we are fighting for. And if we all keep going, we will make the changes we demand to see.

I started this right after the initial ban of refugees and immigrants was announced.
I'm not sure if I am going to finish it or not, I'm not comfortable with creating this
type of art.

*Please note, I do not advocate violence or violent actions in any form of protest. Please don't light any literal fires anywhere. I am speaking of the metaphorical internal fire in all of us, the fire of desire, the fire of justice, the fire of passion, the fire of soul and heart and mind. The divine spark. The creative spark. The more of those that get burning, the brighter we will be.*