We paid the price for a bite
Rejected, cursed, forever blamed
When a predator creeps on an eerie night
Our voice is drowned with shame
Even sunlit fields bare witness
To starving lips that taste of lust
Every place we go, awake or asleep
Cross our legs, hide our breasts — we must
Bodies pried open in plain sight
With jokes, punchlines, lecherous gaze
And the lawman denies our every right
Hope is a meteor that never stays
What use is vox populi
When to power and money it fades?
Do I have strength within me
To bathe them in blood orange stain?
Written for MLMM’s Photo Challenge #322 and Wordle #197.
This one is a sequel to the poem I wrote last March, A Woman’s Bite. I need not go far to see the worsening plight of women when it comes to abuse, sexism and misogyny. I live in a country where those who have sworn to serve and protect the people blame women’s choice of clothes for sex crimes. We have a broadcaster who thinks the way women dress could led to inviting the beast. We have a lawyer who would bitch-slap a woman for having a mind of her own. And just when you thought nothing could go worse, we have a president who have a long list of sexist and demeaning remarks.
July 9, 2020 at 8:44 pm
Ahhh dear….i feel you🥰
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July 10, 2020 at 6:45 pm
The feel is mutual Mich !!
And I feel terrible after reading this 😦
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August 2, 2020 at 2:16 pm
GAAAAH! Love the power of your words! This line is pure genius: Hope is a meteor that never stays
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August 3, 2020 at 11:39 am
I do hope it doesn’t stay true dearie… Yakap. ❤
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August 4, 2020 at 1:38 pm
sigh. yakap!!
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August 3, 2020 at 6:12 am
Although it infuriates and saddens me that women are still demeaned and blamed for situations outside their control, I continue to have hope, because I see the strength and the fire in so many women—myself, my best friends, and others—who fight back, who refuse to let the teachings of misogyny be passed on to the next generation. Stay strong, my dear Maria.
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August 3, 2020 at 11:42 am
YES to this! We need more women like you, Jade. Thank you for the message of hope. Stay strong and keep safe.
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