Inspiration Point by Jane Yevgenia Muschentz (California, 45)

In this version of history, Marge
never went to college / Marge went to college briefly / Marge went to
an all-girls college in the Roaring 1920’s /
in pre-revolution Iran / in 2022 Afghanistan / in 2005 Harvard,
when the school’s President attributed underrepresentation
of women in science to:

​“...different availability of aptitude at the high end... a level of commitment
that a much higher fraction of married men have been historically prepared to make
than of married women.” 1

​Controversy arose
when Marge wore pants / rode a bike / drove a car / played baseball / practiced medicine /
Marge was jailed / sent to an asylum for reading too much and managing
her own finances / Marge was rich and White /
Marge was poor and White / Marge was rich and Latina /

Latina and gay / Black / Indigenous / Jewish / Muslim...
Marge went to a Catholic boarding school / a convent / a convention /
the 1977 National Women’s Conference—she participated!
in the women’s councils that governed ancient civilizations alongside the men /
Marge studied art and mothering, gave birth
to Astrophysics, Jesus, and Software Engineering2/
walked alone late at night through the city center /
the college campus / the parking lot / the grocery store / the corn field /
the timeline

​                  (Oh, the magnificent view!)

Fearless.


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1 “Harvard President Summers’ Remarks About Women in Science, Engineering,” PBS News Radio Hour, Feb 22, 2005, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/science-jan-june05-summersremarks_2-22
2 Mary Sommerville, the first ‘scientist’ (as opposed to ‘man of science’) combined the fields of astronomy, mathematics, and physical forces in her 1831 translation and expansion of Lapace’s Mécanique Céleste; In the Bible, Virgin Mary birthed Jesus; Ada Lovelace [1815-52] is widely acknowledged as the first computer programmer, while the first US software engineers during the early 1900’s were all women




Jane Yevgenia Muschenetz arrived in the US as a child refugee from Soviet Ukraine. Her feminist poetry collection, Power Point, is forthcoming from Sheila-na-gig in 2024. Connect with Jane at her website, www.PalmFrondZoo.com.