The Cayman Islands and all over the world last Sunday women were celebrating THEIR DAY!

In 2015, International Women’s Day, celebrated globally on 8 March highlighted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women’s rights. Whilst there has been many achievements since then, many serious gaps remain.

This is the time to uphold women’s achievements, recognize challenges, and focus greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality to mobilize all people to do their part. The Beijing Platform for Action focuses on 12 critical areas of concern, and envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination.

To this end, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day was the clarion call of UN Women’s Beijing+20 campaign “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture it!”

Governments and activists across the world commemorated the groundbreaking Conference of 1995. They celebrated the many achievements that have come since then and galvanize action to address the gaps that still remain in making gender

In keeping with International Women’s Day iNews Cayman have published a number of articles featuring and honouring women. You will find at least one in all the CHOICE columns.

Below we have re-published our Publisher, Joan Wilson’s, very first poem she wrote. We published it in 2013 but it was written well before then. The poem is about a woman’s ‘idle thoughts’……

Idle thoughts of yesteryear

By Joan Wilson (from her book “Buried Treasures”)

Sometimes I let my thoughts run wild when I’m sitting idle
My mind just wanders and wanders going back in time
And in the middle of my thoughts are my parents –
So big and strong – nothing but beautiful memories cloud my mind
Whether we were swimming or just playing games in the garden
There was a feeling of always being loved.

And watched over by some caring neighbour
Who showed concern and fussed but always kept a watchful eye on us.
This is Cayman going back some years
When times were such and we didn’t have much
Worry was not a way of life but simple contentment amongst us all existed.

Those days we farmed and fished and there were those who wished
They could see the world or a part of it.
Once a month maybe a boat would arrive
And you should’ve seen us come alive
As down to the dock we’d strut all excited.

We were dressed to the gills
And some of us even wore frills
And you can bet your life they were made right here in Cayman.
Loved ones were coming or going
And families were always showing how much they cared.

This too, was Cayman of yesteryear
When we didn’t have cause to fear
For the island was free of crime – all we really had was time.
Time to sit and talk with each other,
Time to sing or walk with another – we didn’t have much bother.

Except mosquitoes – stinging us night and day
How we prayed they’d go a way!
But that was an island time forgot
When on the map we were just a spot
And long before man to the moon was shot.

When land crabs and sea turtles were abound
No banks, tourists or dive boats could be found,
And only foreign seaplanes landed in the Sound.

When woman’s place was in the home
And when our children didn’t roam.
When bicycles were used instead of cars
And when the island had only two bars –

Imagine!