A smug smile adorns
Pink lips,
As I shimmy into
My favourite skater skirt.
A flick of the wrist
Shifts flyaway hairs from my cheek,
Tossing away the
Disapproving look that
Sheila Aunty shoots over
The shoulder of her
Backless choli.
Stiletto heels
Quash the stifling guidelines
I am meant to follow
While choosing an outfit.
I wink at the scandalised
Kitty party,
And wave away the
Multitude of comments
That I know will accost me.
“Beta, I see one millimetre of your bra strap.”
“Beta, wear another shirt inside that blouse.”
“Beta, why don’t you maybe throw on some pants?”
But when the gaze of
An intoxicated man
Hungrily drags across my frame,
Or the cab driver
Can’t seem to look into my eyes
My bravado dissipates
And I shrink away instead,
Gripping another’s forearm
And accepting
A baggy jacket.
My little attempt at
Revenge is thwarted.
Society seems to be
The better player
In this gender game.
Avenging its
Wounded patriarchal ego,
It has painted a
Target on my back.
The one to which
Supposedly every man may
Lay a claim.
My sins are my
Womb and XX chromosomes,
The breasts that I must
Pour into the cups of a bra.
Forced to succumb,
I choose not
To prove a point,
And instead choose to
Wear pants for a late night out,
And carry a jacket,
In the hopes of
not being harassed.
March 11, 2017 at 8:16 pm
Really strong…
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March 12, 2017 at 3:27 am
Thank you! ☺️
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March 11, 2017 at 8:25 pm
Powerful!
Always remember, just Be You! 💚
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March 12, 2017 at 3:28 am
Thank you so much! ☺️ I’ll keep that in mind, hahha🙈
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March 12, 2017 at 12:44 am
This would make a brilliant post-punk pop empowerment song! Very inspired. Keep up the great work!
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March 12, 2017 at 3:30 am
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words❤ it truly means so much to me!
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March 12, 2017 at 4:36 am
Really powerful! Thank you for those words. Every day is another day we fight. One battle at the time 🙂
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March 12, 2017 at 9:52 am
Thank you so much for the kind words! ☺️
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March 12, 2017 at 5:51 am
More powerful and meaningful than most poetry I’ve read.
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March 12, 2017 at 9:51 am
Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me🙈☺️
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March 12, 2017 at 9:19 am
Very very powerful poem.
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March 12, 2017 at 9:50 am
Thank you so much!☺️
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March 13, 2017 at 1:33 pm
Brutally honest…excellent.. More power to you…
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March 13, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Thank you so much! 😊
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March 13, 2017 at 9:37 pm
I imagine someone choosing whether to take her jacket or not before she leaves home and chooses not to as she walks out the door.
Good job. ❤
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March 14, 2017 at 6:17 am
Thank you so much for the kind words ❤
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March 14, 2017 at 3:23 am
It’s amazing… you have brilliantly captured the thoughts of every young girl while she steps out of the house!!
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March 14, 2017 at 6:16 am
Thank you so much! ❤
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March 14, 2017 at 1:22 pm
Its fascinating how appearance and perception can oscillate between being a symbol of strength and submission. Great piece! 🙂
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March 14, 2017 at 2:58 pm
Thank you so much for the kind words😊
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March 15, 2017 at 6:57 pm
Beautiful words, powerful statement, intoxicating read. Often time poetry is confusing and difficult for me to get into (even as someone who writes poems from time to time). This was perfect. It made sense to me, it included strong imagery, and evoked real feelings within myself. We’ll done.
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March 16, 2017 at 1:48 am
Thank you so much! I have no words to express how much your words have meant to me. It’s truly just made my day, and I have a good feeling that this will inspire me to get over the creative slump I’ve been in for a few days now🙈
Thank you, once again ❤☺️
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March 27, 2017 at 5:20 pm
Loved it! This unfortunately the case with women’s clothing. “The breasts that I must Pour into the cups of a bra.”- what a wonderful piece of writing!
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March 27, 2017 at 7:59 pm
Thank you so much for the kind words! ❤ I decided to write this piece because of the unfortunate frustration we must deal with everyday. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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March 28, 2017 at 3:37 am
You are right. I do wonder if a day would come when women can walk with their head held high, even in the darkest of nights, without a worry in their head.
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March 28, 2017 at 7:59 am
I sure hope that day arrives sooner, rather than later
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March 28, 2017 at 8:41 am
I know!
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