Oh, where to start…
Bruised and broken, the state of my heart.
Impossible to articulate and find words to convey;
Just how big the loss from your passing that day.
A shero to us, you forever will be;
A cultural American icon for the entire world to see.
A do-er and fighter for justice for all;
Your teeny-tiny frame, a mere 5 feet tall.
But they say small things can really pack a big punch;
Inequality and discrimination, you ate them for lunch.
The many victories for women, let me count the ways;
From credit cards to bank accounts and more equal pay days.
From civil rights to abortion rights and equal protections under the law;
Our liberal standard-bearer, from whom strength we all did draw.
The great equalizer they dubbed you – with a spine made of steel;
A feminist revolution you waged, quiet, underappreciated, but very real.
American political thought, you did forevermore upend;
Through cancer and fractured ribs, you fought til the end.
An advocate, a scholar, a legendary judge;
Our reverence for Ruth, never ever to budge.
May your memory be the revolution that sparks transformational change;
The catalyst that destroys this patriarchal game.
Today women everywhere will take a collective knee;
With love and respect for the Notorious - and glorious - RBG.
Until the work is done, I remain…
Ruthlessly Yours,
Kimberly Ellis