Grey shadows are platforms from which foliage sings;
they speak of men,
who for reasons unknown delude their wits
about womankind,
I wonder, in what way
is that aesthetically or morally pleasing?
Before I really begin the project,
I have a few fragments of thought
that urged me to do this—
a different sort of impromptu that poetry excels at,
goldenrod harsh,
less Dionysian spur-of-the-moment with an already
concluded refrain entwined to a perfect enso,
as quick as the poisoning
of Geoffrey Baratheon, I confess,
horrible as it was, I actually chuckled at the scene.
“I am tough, I am ambitious, and I know exactly
what I want,” says a woman
in a gathering full of men, do they applaud?
Of course not.
They stopped taking her seriously the minute
they laid eyes on the chic attire
in which she’d arrived; I ask you,
what difference does it make if we wear heels
instead of boots?
And if you attack them by innuendo,
you will be sued for libel;
do you see the numerous ways in which
the ground covering is sparse—
I wish they’d just treat us as rational beings.
Crush us, objectify us,
go ahead try and discriminate us,
in this hot weather,
the sun is our hearth, we can arrange
our chairs in any way we want to—
one need not be an ardent feminist to tear down
the misogynist wall;
the misogynist wall, the misogynist wall.
The hour has come.
Photo credits: Mae West by Salvador Dali, Pinterest
Posted for Open Link Night #325: And so the story goes @dVerse Pub
34 Responses
Feisty words Sanaa – “do you see the numerous ways in which
the ground covering is sparse—” it can be a minefield!
things have improved since the fifties though and now women are dressing as sex objects again
p.s. had to look up the Baratheon reference since I don’t follow GoT
Thank you so much, Laura 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
I find this so encouraging… and I am thinking about the young women and girls of Iran when I read this, but of course, such walls exist everywhere..
Thank you so much, Bjorn 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Sanaa- This is so profound and compelling. Beautifully written.
Thank you so much, my dearest Linda 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Time for the axe…
Definitely! 😉
The hour has indeed come! Brava, Sanaa! An exceptionally powerful write. ❤️
Thank you so much, Punam 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
We post from a far-flung globe of so many (alas, only English speaking) cultures, but it seems that nowhere has feminine gotten its due for ten thousand years or more. Here in the USA, men seem to be haunted by the myth of testosterone, and hate women for not worshipping it as well. The Y chromosome it’s going extinct, and sexual Republicans everywhere are blaming Mother for it. Sigh … Anyway, this read like a flipped ponytail (or veil or subway glance) that says fuck ’em and their wall. Amen.
Thank you so much, Brendan 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I truly hope that is true! I also thought of the brave women in Iran. Fuck those old men in their robes and whatever god they worship. They are only wallowing in fear.
Thank you so much, Yvonne 🙂 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
Well written Sanaa. You are right it is time to tear down those walls and communicate without assumptions!
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
As the father of a little girl, I would like to say, “thank you, Sanaa.”
~David
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
I wish I could believe this is happening…but I fear we are being pushed back instead of ahead. May your spirit spread.
Thank you so much, Kerfe 🙂 so good to see you 💄❤️
This is a fantastic reflection on the inanity we still face solely based on an outdated social construct of gender. Loved it!
Thank you so much, Anna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Freedom to rearrange your chains as you wish. Wow, that well encapsulates the modern female experience. Brava! So well done.
Thank you so much, Christopher 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
“The hour has come.” It sure has.
Thank you so much, Shay 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Here is a sledge Sanaa — have at it my friend… with my sincerest blessing and earnest emotional support. My wife Kathy and my daughter Jennifer have been hammering chunks out of it for years. May the likes of those like Trump, Putin, and Kim Jong-un be smothered in the ruin — and the shortsighted like myself, be startled wider awake by the rumbling.
Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad the poem appealed to you 💄❤️
A manifesto in chic poetic attire. The kind that makes a statement with wit and verve. Brava, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, my dearest Dora 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
the misogynist wall, the misogynist wall.
The hour has come.
The battle of the sexes is a never-ending pastime. All the more a great write with the humour thrown in!
Hank
Definitely! Thank you so much for stopping by, Hank! 💄❤️
Tear it down
True, power.
How to tear it down?
By calling it out.
Voting if you can.
Teaching respect to all children
For all people (but how?)
Don’t settle for so called soft power,
But wield that if that is all you got
Love yourself, that is also a revolutionary act
Thank you so much, Lona 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️