Luckily, women violentlessly
 bleed once a month
 feeding the need
 for revenge on the body's mortality.

Men, in lack of menses
 hunt
 or
 war
to get their own blood letting
in an attempt to do women.

Futility at immortalities.

Women bleed purposefully
men bleed uselessly.

Men award each other medals for their blood sheds.
Women, declared biblically unclean, hide 
or wrap their blood letting in tissue paper
or flush their (reasonable)
life-giving down the toilet.

Women bleed to give life
monthly reminders
of their capability.
Men bleed to take life
battle cry
 reminders
of their response
to women's power.

Blood stains on a woman's clothes 
 leakages of life-giving proof
 shame her into hiding
 tabu
to have sex with a bleeding woman.
Men who come that close to blood
letting with a purpose
are afraid of its power
or are unsure or in awe 
to partake of such
calm violence
consented/accepted
in silence,
quietness,
easy flowage,
between the legs.

And she hesitates to show him her power
all-used to shame
or proof of her life-giving.

He has had to go to war
to see such
marvelous
vitality
of knowing when one is alive
truly, by dying.

She wraps her pad in a tissue 
 waits another
(violentless) period out.

Compared.

Rhea Côté Robbins
4-21-97