poetry web

The day dawns clear
Dispelling darkness dim
With eyes regaining the power
They seem losing for long
To see things near and far
In a joyous satisfaction.

Throughout the day
Changing views good and bad they settle their scores
To impose on the din of life a silence of death
And rejoice in the blinding darkness
That descends fast to hold humanity
In fear of gruesome torture and untold shame.

Friends of darkness find
The light of reason a thing of power
To turn bright days into dark nights
Proper only for plunder and murder
To hide all acts of shame and guilt
In mindless celebrations of empty victories
The gory links of which they alone know not to share.

In darkness reason shines better
For unreasonable acts to settle
Away from the light of the day
When motives fade hard
To tear open the chest of man
To drink for fun even the last drop of humanity’s blood.

Dark nights are a shelter
More intense made to blind others
(Lest they ask rough and pricking questions)
To have grounds clear for vandals calling shots
In an empire of evil where murderous pride roams
With food and drugs that kill and water and air that harm
And days find meaning when darkness for ages must rule.

So you mean they’re married?
The simple question leads to a complex answer of an eight year old
girl,
a long explanation which she is tired of answering
she has nothing to be ashamed of, right?
So why does the cute boy sitting next to her on the bus not
understand?

He isn’t dead.
The eleven year old girl stumbles on the heteronormativity of society
as she struggles to articulate.
I just don’t have a dad,
the friendship bracelet weaving halts for a moment in the slender
white fingers as the newfound friend looks at the girl somewhat out of pity and somewhat in confusion.

Yes they actually are legally married now,
at fourteen the answers to those inevitable questions become easier
to answer.
Isn’t that exciting?
the girl thought that meant normal,
she thought the law finally saw her family as she did
because love is all it takes to make a family… right?

Her naive idealism of perfection is shot down,
an overheard conversation,
she is my daughters partner’s daughter
aren’t they wives now?

So the girl asks,
“Isn’t mama my legal mom now?”
Well, technically no,
the process of turning mama into mama
is as sticky and tough as its history.

The fines must be paid,
the bureaucrat hired,
and don’t forget
an interview and home inspection from your local DSS,
because why would you be good parents,
you only had children on your own accord,
you only taught them how to think but, more importantly, question,
hide those things while you are interviewed,
they are good moms,
they love us,
Is it official yet?

Males are your superior.
The ones you look to for answers.
They are your father, your brother, your son.
But above all
They are your boss.

No matter your age, man is your boss.
No matter your color, man is your boss.
As long as you’re a woman, a man is your boss.

You will not reach equality
Without the means of a man.
But what man wants to relinquish his power?
The superiority that gives success,
To achieve remarkable goals,
To ameliorate his odds?
What man is that crazy?

This man.
Me.
I am a feminist, I see your struggle.
While I can’t understand, I see your burden.
Your setbacks.
The way you’re oppressed into a mold crafted by man.
The mold that says
‘curvy, not fat’
‘please your man’
‘lady in the streets, freak in the sheets’.
And I want to melt this mold with you.
To mold it into something desirable.
Something powerful, something man already attained.

Women are climbing up
from the depths of oppression
And seeing their worth.
There is nothing more powerful
than a woman who knows
she deserves better.

You crawl up,
with high heel blisters,
the belief you’re not good enough,
and boob jobs you didn’t want.
Yet you can’t even earn
the cash
that makes up for such hardship.

You’ve found your way
from underground, onto the surface
only to see a mountain stands in your way.
A mountain wrapped in men.

You could cheat, become an object,
and take the easy way up.
The way they already see you,
a body with no mind.
You could be up there with the big boys,
but not compete.
That’s not what you want.

You look around before taking the first step.
Another woman struggles by your side,
oblivious to your presence.
You call out, and she sees you.
A light in her eyes, like she’s been awakened from a trance.
She nods, and calls out at another woman beside her.
The light in her eyes brightens, and the cycle repeats.
You weigh your odds against the determined women.
You want to be the first to the top, to defeat the others.
But you realize the only way up is together.
The base of the mountain glows, the women ready to climb.
They pull each other up, acting as one unit.
As the mountain grows steeper, some women lose hope.
You grab them as they fall, and continue the trek.

I look down the mountain and see a glow.
It’s getting closer, and I see you shining within.
A smile glides across my face, and I wait.
You reach the final ledge.
I look down and see your ragged clothes,
torn by the jagged mountain.
You shout upwards,
all attention on you.
The gazes almost break you, but you stand your ground.
You explain your journey, your struggles.
The speech provokes male thought.
The men realize their mistakes,
But also what they will relinquish for equality.
Some don’t agree, but many are just uneducated
Taking their privilege for granted.
They just didn’t know what you endured.
A hand grabs you, pulls you to the top.
Men and women alike transcend at the calm peak.
The glow from the women radiates,
and spreads across the sky and to all.