by Beth Weaver-Kreider

Whereas he has harmed her;
Whereas he has hid the harms
that his brethren have done her;
Whereas he has forced entry;
Whereas he has broken her doors
and made her afraid;

Whereas he has taken what is not his–
namely her body,
namely her peace of mind,
namely her sense of safety,
namely her agency;

Whereas he has controlled her
and forced her submission;
Whereas he has set himself above her;
Whereas he has turned a deaf ear
to the sound of her voice;
Whereas he has denied her her sovereignty;
Whereas he has created a god
to bless his wars and pillaging
and denied her the comforting arms
of her divine mother;

It is hereby resolved:
There shall be a reckoning–

The trees shall be told, and the rivers,
the creatures of the woods, and the birds of the air.
To the fish shall it be made known,
to the winds and the waters,
to the dancing flame, and to the stones.
Nemesis with Furies, and Medusa,
shall bring him his due.

He shall be brought to account.
Both his deeds and his refusal to act
when confronted with her harm
shall visit him in nightmare;
He shall absorb her fear as his own;
Her voice shall echo in the chamber of his skull
night and day, ceaselessly;
He shall feel in his body
the battlefield he has made of hers;

He shall speak a word
and no one believe him;
He shall cease to prosper;
His power shall wane and diminish;
His brothers shall call him out and name him.
His vitality, drawn from her sorrow and labor,
shall be drained away;
His fortunes, wrought by her travail,
shall vanish.

In witness whereof,
her sisters shall stand vigil.
So mote it be.