Nineteen To One

This International Women's day
you should know about the number of women
vs the number of men who are named in The Bible.

In the Old and New Testaments combined
1770 different men are given their names
and often their deeds are copiously credited
whereas only 93 women's names are mentioned
and what they did often remained unknown.

The ratio of nineteen to one
would be less if we added to the list
the number of women who were mentioned
but left unnamed, as if their names
might bring shame on the holy men
that they secretly sought wisdom from. 

And lest we forget, all those men
who were credited as holy and patriarchs
in part had the reputations that they had
because they had mothers who cared for them,
teaching the men to care the world as they saw it.