11.5.11

"No One Loves a Feminist

I wrote this poem a while back. It was an attempt at replying to the following question from an ex-friend of mine: "You're not gay. You may be stubborn but you're pretty. You can get a man. So why the hell would you wanna be a feminist? No one loves a feminist." This poem, as with all my work, is a work in progress. But I used it for a class project and got positive feedback. So I thought I'd share.

When you’re born a girl in one of the world’s poorest countries,
You learn early on to fight in order to survive.
When government thugs attempt to murder your father for simply telling the truth,
You learn to be vocal.
When your grandfather is jailed and tortured because he disagreed with the government,
You learn to stand up for yourself.
When the spirit of many great women inhabits you,
You learn to be strong.
When your mother spends more time teaching you compassion and acceptance,
You learn to love others and embrace differences.
When you are constantly told what you can and cannot do because of your gender,
You learn to fight.

You learn to fight oppression to keep it from suffocating you.
You learn to fight racism and sexism,
So the world knows there is more to you than the labels assigned.
You learn to fight not only your own battles,
But help others fight theirs.
You learn to fight even when winning seems illogical.

See, I did not choose to become a feminist.
I did not choose to fight.
Born in the midst of this undeclared war,
There was not a choice to be made.

Alright, I gotta go get on my broom now. Got some bras that need burning and balls in need of busting.