That was the year we became no men. Estrogen reigned. So much so that the market became saturated. We exceeded the capacity of our bras and shoelaces. The frequency of radical hysterectomies grew sharply in an attempt to manipulate demand.
We looked forward to menopause to get some relief. We could no longer wear cotton or eat strawberries so we braided our hair with obsolete shopping lists.
One night Whole Foods ran out of kale. A quiet panic ensued and we understood this was the beginning of the collapse. We were greatly relieved the next day when it was all back.
--Karen Hildebrand
Karen Hildebrand is chief content officer for the publisher of Dance Magazine. Her play, “The Old In and Out,” cowritten with poet Madeline Artenberg, was produced off-off Broadway by Three Rooms Press in 2013. Her poetry appears in Poet Lore, Meridian, Fourteen Hills, A Gathering of the Tribes, Maintenant and other journals. http://karenahildebrand.blogspot.com/