deepundergroundpoetry.com
Untitled #2
I grew up in a time where girls were thought so lowly that they could ask to be raped
Not grown women with breasts firm with ripening of age
But little girls who drew squiggles for letters and whorls for numbers still
Close your legs, do you want to get raped? Our mothers shouted.
Will you not wear your tights under those shorts? Who are you trying to invite?
So I grew up with my body belonging to men whose faces and names I did not know
For it was for their comfort and convenience that I wore leggings with my summer dresses
My lipstick a shade lighter lest they be led into temptation by my 15 year old honey-coated lips
Little did I know that the sweet-tongued seductress the wise father warned his son about in Proverbs was nine year old me
My laughter a decibel too high was a sign that I wanted his faith to falter
His righteousness existed before mine- was guaranteed over mine
Although it was he who had the power to act
He had the power to pin me down against my will -
Gag me, defile me and disembowel me as neighbours said the following day,
“Ag ja man, but did you see what she was wearing?”
He had the power to throw acid on my face and be protected by the law if I pulled a knife in self-defence
And yet… the lips of my vagina are sewn together to silence my humanity
My breasts are ironed to mask my attractiveness which is a curse I have brought upon myself
My clitoris is slashed because God made a mistake, I don’t need that – it serves no functional purpose, for my husband, that is
Pleasure is for him to take. My piety is for him to indulge himself, to bathe in so that I may replenish the fountain of his youth and purity
My insecurities a buffet where seconds, thirds, followed by a dessert on the house are a regular special on the menu because slut-shamers and victim-blamers got money to blow
This is why the man who slept with the prostitute saved by Jesus was nowhere to be found
He could have been in the bar celebrating that he’d" Smashed'
Or perhaps he was readily armed to cast the first stone
He is crowned while she is treated as though she is dirty - but made dirty by whom?
Because according to society, the man is simply being a man.
And away he walks.
Smug.
Not liberated but free.
Not grown women with breasts firm with ripening of age
But little girls who drew squiggles for letters and whorls for numbers still
Close your legs, do you want to get raped? Our mothers shouted.
Will you not wear your tights under those shorts? Who are you trying to invite?
So I grew up with my body belonging to men whose faces and names I did not know
For it was for their comfort and convenience that I wore leggings with my summer dresses
My lipstick a shade lighter lest they be led into temptation by my 15 year old honey-coated lips
Little did I know that the sweet-tongued seductress the wise father warned his son about in Proverbs was nine year old me
My laughter a decibel too high was a sign that I wanted his faith to falter
His righteousness existed before mine- was guaranteed over mine
Although it was he who had the power to act
He had the power to pin me down against my will -
Gag me, defile me and disembowel me as neighbours said the following day,
“Ag ja man, but did you see what she was wearing?”
He had the power to throw acid on my face and be protected by the law if I pulled a knife in self-defence
And yet… the lips of my vagina are sewn together to silence my humanity
My breasts are ironed to mask my attractiveness which is a curse I have brought upon myself
My clitoris is slashed because God made a mistake, I don’t need that – it serves no functional purpose, for my husband, that is
Pleasure is for him to take. My piety is for him to indulge himself, to bathe in so that I may replenish the fountain of his youth and purity
My insecurities a buffet where seconds, thirds, followed by a dessert on the house are a regular special on the menu because slut-shamers and victim-blamers got money to blow
This is why the man who slept with the prostitute saved by Jesus was nowhere to be found
He could have been in the bar celebrating that he’d" Smashed'
Or perhaps he was readily armed to cast the first stone
He is crowned while she is treated as though she is dirty - but made dirty by whom?
Because according to society, the man is simply being a man.
And away he walks.
Smug.
Not liberated but free.
Published 30th Mar 2016
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 5
reading list entries 1
comments 8
reads 1007
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
31st Mar 2016 00:52am
Respect where you came from ! extreme content !
* I did want to include the world as a whole but could not find a collective of stats...
As a man
I say
STOP
all this
madness
defiling women
like it is our right
to desecrate the sanctity
of her womb
not even wipe your feet
before entering a room
do you kiss your mother with that mouth
in the united states alone
a woman is reported raped
once ever 2 minutes
EVERY TWO MINUTES
and that's just
the
ones
REPORTED
in the time it takes for me
to read you this poem
2 women have been raped
STOP
why do you defile
the place from which you came
those who gave you your name
you kiss your grandmother with that mouth
one third of the population
of the fairer sex
of a nation
has been raped
that means if you are a woman and have a woman sitting
on either side of you
one of you
has
be
raped
STOP
have you no shame
women have struggled
and died to give birth
every day
and you soil the
sanctity of that
'cause
of a
flame
in your
pants
YOU ARE NOT A MAN
you kiss your daughter with
that mouth
that mouth
the one your mother
held to her breast
to give you nourishment
and
LIFE
that mouth
that kisses your wife
& children before they go to bed
and the men of power let you out of jail
'cause there ain't enough room
to house all the people that smoke
WEED
or do some other drug
probably to escape from the reality
of what you did to them
change lives
in the blink of an eye
without remorse
that could be
your daughter
your wife
your mother
and that is
THREE
so take your pick
it was probably
one
of
them
now bow your heads
and pray
for the two
that had to suffer
while you listened
to me
pray for their souls to be free
this is the only thing i know to say
* I did want to include the world as a whole but could not find a collective of stats...
As a man
I say
STOP
all this
madness
defiling women
like it is our right
to desecrate the sanctity
of her womb
not even wipe your feet
before entering a room
do you kiss your mother with that mouth
in the united states alone
a woman is reported raped
once ever 2 minutes
EVERY TWO MINUTES
and that's just
the
ones
REPORTED
in the time it takes for me
to read you this poem
2 women have been raped
STOP
why do you defile
the place from which you came
those who gave you your name
you kiss your grandmother with that mouth
one third of the population
of the fairer sex
of a nation
has been raped
that means if you are a woman and have a woman sitting
on either side of you
one of you
has
be
raped
STOP
have you no shame
women have struggled
and died to give birth
every day
and you soil the
sanctity of that
'cause
of a
flame
in your
pants
YOU ARE NOT A MAN
you kiss your daughter with
that mouth
that mouth
the one your mother
held to her breast
to give you nourishment
and
LIFE
that mouth
that kisses your wife
& children before they go to bed
and the men of power let you out of jail
'cause there ain't enough room
to house all the people that smoke
WEED
or do some other drug
probably to escape from the reality
of what you did to them
change lives
in the blink of an eye
without remorse
that could be
your daughter
your wife
your mother
and that is
THREE
so take your pick
it was probably
one
of
them
now bow your heads
and pray
for the two
that had to suffer
while you listened
to me
pray for their souls to be free
this is the only thing i know to say
31st Mar 2016 11:48am
I don't even know how to respond to that. I'm absolutely awe-stricken at your ability to do that! My feminist self was ready to start throwing stones at the appeal to the perpetrator's relation with women in his own life - because I hate that we need to do that to sensitise people to violence against women.
And then you did that wicked thing you do with words, with a twist so sharp, it left me gaping. Fantastic work!!
And then you did that wicked thing you do with words, with a twist so sharp, it left me gaping. Fantastic work!!
Anonymous
- Edited 2nd Apr 2016 10:57am
2nd Apr 2016 10:53am
This is a poem in its own right as well SatansSperm. It is both Sombre & thought provoking.
2nd Apr 2016 9:57pm
it is a poem http://deepundergroundpoetry.com/poems/232490-respect-where-you-came-from/
31st Mar 2016 2:03am
31st Mar 2016 1:41pm
A mind of awareness, and words of a spirit. ..this has glazed my eyes with the color of truth. ..mammal instinct protected by conscience...keep writing my friend.
MAMMAL. ..there's your title
MAMMAL. ..there's your title
16th Apr 2016 1:17pm
The fact that young women (12, 15, 18, perhaps as young as 8) are made to feel uncomfortable with their beauty or appeal is tragic and disheartening.
But at no point should you, Black Mushroom, feel the need to tone down your feminist fire or rage.
Standing up for yourself and those like you is never wrong
But at no point should you, Black Mushroom, feel the need to tone down your feminist fire or rage.
Standing up for yourself and those like you is never wrong
