For V (formerly Eve Ensler) Lyrics

For V

Formerly Eve Ensler

My sister

My friend

One of my mentors

One of my sheroes

For all women and girls

Of the world

Just like you

Ooooooooh

Ooooooooh

One billion apologies are due

To the women and the girls

Of the world

Women and the girls

One billion apologies are due

To the women and the girls

Of this world

Just like you

Just like you

One billion apologies are due

To the women and girls

Of the world

Who are you,

And had to bear

Sledgehammer hate

From the violent paws of men

Even men we call

Our fathers

I am sorry

Your introduction to human-hood

Was a biological not

Bothering

And incapable

Of taming his own traumas

But instead

Terrorized you

With exploding hand grenades

Chained to his teeth

You

A little girl

Whose body

Was lit a-fire

Whose smile

Eyes

Childhood

Were hung and burned away

The way my ancestors

Were hung and burned away

By nameless naked cowards

I am also sorry your

Mother

Could not protect

You

Because she too

Lived in a land

Littered with

Rape and abuse

And revenge

A land held

Hostage

By broken little boys

In men's bodies:

Why does a monster

Call himself a man?

Why does a little girl

Pray

That mister alligator

Will rescue her

From a monster

Who calls himself

Father?

We wear

The permanently

Bandaged scars

Of our childhoods

As my mother wears

The rage and sadness

Of what she might have

Been

Had girls like her

Been encouraged

To be

Not do

One billion apologies are due

To the women and the girls

Of the world

Women and the girls

One billion apologies are due

To the women and the girls

Of this world

Just like you

What freed you

What will free

Women like my ma

Was/will be the vagina monologue

Scat-singing in tongues

Like sister so-and-so

Sifting through nature's church pews

For sanctified sounds

In the holiest city of joy

'Bukin' cancer

'Bukin' cancer

'Bukin' cancer

From the body of the world—

Ahhhh ahhhh

Ahhhh ahhhh