BITCH FEST & THE KEY

2014
WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS?
OR THE LOWLIGHTS?

ONE SATURDAY
THE POETRY CLUB CELEBRATED
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

ALONG WITH A FEW MALE FRIENDS
I PUT MY NAME DOWN
TO READ SOMETHING

I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY BROTHERS THOUGHT
BUT I WAS KEEN ON AT LEAST TWO THINGS
ONE TO HEAR MY NEW FRIEND READ

TWO TO SUPPORT THE CAUSE
NOTICE MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS SELFISH
AND MY NEW FRIEND IS CUTE BEYOND BELIEF

MY OTHER NEW FRIEND WAS ALSO GOING TO BE THERE
SHE WAS A TRAVELLING KINDRED SPIRIT
NOT YOUNG NOT OLD AND INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL

ALL THAT ASIDE AND BACK TO THE POETRY
I’D DECIDED ON MY PIECE
A LOVE POEM, SELF DEGRADING

I GOT THERE FEELING GOOD
AND LISTENED TO THE FIRST FEW POETS
SEEMINGLY POWERFUL WOMEN WITH SOMETHING TO SAY

THEY SPOKE ABOUT MOSTLY GUYS
IN A PREDOMINANTLY DISPARAGING WAY
OF LIMP DICKS AND WEAK BASTARDS

AND I CURIOUSLY LISTENED ON
ONE OF THE GUYS TRIED SOMETHING COURAGEOUS
AND MENTIONED A FACT ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN

THE MOSTLY FEMALE AUDIENCE
DIDN’T CARE TOO MUCH FOR THIS
NOR HIS ROMANTIC HETEROSEXUAL LOVE SONG

THEN ONE OF THE BETTER FEMALE POETS WAS ON
AND SHE PROCEEDED TO TELL US OF HER ORDEALS
AT THE HANDS OF HER FATHER WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG

AND IT WAS TOUCHING, NO PUN INTENDED
AND IT WAS MOVING, DITTO I’M SURE
BUT IT WAS FILLED WITH HATRED, UNDERSTANDABLY PERHAPS?

AND THEN IT CLICKED TO ME
THAT WAS THE COMMON THREAD
THE WOMEN WERE FILLED WITH HATRED

THEY DIDN’T CARE FOR MY LOVE POEM
SELF EFFACING AS IT WAS
ONE OF MY BEST I THOUGHT

I CHOSE IT OUT OF RESPECT
FOR THE OCCASION
AS A POSSIBLE ANSWER

BUT THEY WEREN’T HAVING A BAR OF IT
THEY WERE HELL BENT
ON RETRIBUTION

WE MEN HAD NO PLACE THERE
WE WERE INTRUDERS AND INVADERS
ALIENS IN THEIR LAND

SO MUCH HATE
NO PLACE FOR LOVE
THAT MADE ME SAD

IT MADE ME WONDER
ABOUT EVERYTHING
ABOUT ROMANCE AND POETRY

AND THE MEANING OF LIFE
AND THE MEANING OF LOVE
AND WHAT WAS TRUE OR NOT

IT MADE ME WONDER
ABOUT MEN AND WOMEN
AND VENUS AND MARS

AND ALL THAT CRAP
ABOUT ROMANCE AND SUCH
IT MADE ME FEEL CYNICAL

IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT ALL SORTS OF THINGS
LIKE HOW BOYS LEARN TO BE MEN
AND HOW GIRLS LEARN TO BE WOMEN

AND HOW BOYS LEARN TO CONQUER AND WIN
AND HOW GIRLS LEARN TO CATCH AND WIN
AND HOW BOYS DISPLAY THEIR MANHOOD

IN RIDICULOUS MASCULINE WAYS
LIKE GETTING TO FIRST BASE AND BEYOND
AND HOW GIRLS DISPLAY THEIR FEMININITY

BY WEARING MAKE-UP AND ALLURING OUTFITS
AND LETTING THE BOYS GET ONLY SO FAR
BEFORE THEY HOLD OUT FOR SOMETHING MORE

AND FOR THE BOYS THAT’S JUST SEX
AND FOR THE GIRLS IT’S COMMITMENT
LOVE AND SECURITY COME INTO IT FOR SURE

BUT I WONDERED ABOUT BOYS AND GIRLS
AND WHAT WE’RE TAUGHT BY OUR MUMS AND DADS
ABOUT CONQUERING AND CATCHING AND ALL THAT CRAP

AND I THOUGHT ABOUT GIRLS
AND HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY LOOK
AND HOW THEY WORK AT IT

AND I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW THEY LEARN
FROM AN EARLY AGE ABOUT SEDUCTION
AND FLAUNTING THEIR SEXUALITY

AND ABOUT HOW BOYS LEARN
FROM AN EARLY AGE ABOUT THE HUNT
AND USING THEIR TRAPS AND WEAPONS

AND IT ALL KIND OF MADE SENSE
I DIDN’T LIKE IT TOO MUCH
BUT IT ALL SEEMED TO ADD UP

ALL THAT CONDITIONING
ALL THAT CRAP WE MUST FIGHT AGAINST
TO JUST BE TRUE TO OURSELVES

ALL THAT HATE FROM THOSE POOR GIRLS
MY SISTERS AND SOMEONE’S DAUGHTERS AND MOTHERS
ALL THOSE POOR BOYS CONDITIONED TO KILL

I FELT BAD BUT I FELT GOOD

BECAUSE I KNEW OR THOUGHT I KNEW
THAT SOMEHOW IN THIS STRANGE FUCKED UP UNIVERSE
I MAY HAVE LEARNED SOMETHING, SOMETHING IMPORTANT

SO I FELT APPALLED BUT OK
BECAUSE AS BAD AS IT SEEMED IT WAS FINE
AND BECAUSE I WAS AWARE THERE WAS HOPE

AND THERE I WAS THINKING LOVE WAS THE KEY
WHEN ALL ALONG IT WAS WHAT IT’S ALWAYS BEEN
FAITH AND HOPE - THAT IS THE KEY