Longer Poems

I refuse to lean in
Or fake it with a power pose
I won’t shout to be heard
Or perform for the crowd

Can’t stomach poor humour
Or suffer ugly office rumours
But I’ll keep wearing pink
Put my feet in six inch heels
Make it clear I want to be seen

I refuse to decorate expert panels
Or symbolize work-life balance
I won’t champion a business case
For the chance to lead. I need rights to succeed, not a win-win scenario.

So don’t appease me with quick fixes, pretty gestures that conceal injustice

March by my side to enforce equal pay
Take on the fight to legislate family leave
Blaze a trail to reward care work
Value collaboration as much as competition
And compromise as much as victory

Wake up to unconscious bias
Because real change is uncomfortable
Sometimes even painful.

Our words reveal truths
Numbers won’t uncover
Our stories carry colours
The data calls errors
Lives diminish, shades disappear
When we count
What can’t be measured

after Steve Jobs

Here’s to the rest of us. Ordinary folk.
Hardworking hustlers and hopeful job seekers. Unsung caregivers and boardroom firefighters. Sunny baristas and curious professors. Humble leaders and lifelong learners.

Here’s to those who choose meaning over money and journeys over destinations. To those good luck forgot. To those travelling with grit and resting with grace.

Because the ones who make a difference are the ones who just keep going.