woman

i couldn’t tell you
what being a woman is
everyday i try
knowing my efforts may
not be recognized
my worth may be deemed less
i think of my mother
four thousand plus kilometres away
and the power of her potential
that never came to fruition
I do it for her,
all the women before her
all the women after me

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eyes of men

i sat amongst men
yesterday 
had a glass of cognac 
placed in front on me. 
hair tied back,
ends tucked away from
judgmental eyes.
naturally my shoulders hunched
not wanting to waste 
opportunity 
to feel what real men do
they spoke about an age
i would never have any
tangible opinions on
so i sat, shoulders hunched
and brought the glass
to my inexperienced lips
the first touch against my
tongue should have been
my last. but i held down
the urge to let it spill
from between my lips.
let it soak, son.
let it seep into your veins
let it make you a man 
eyes watered but i held on
to a watery smile
and let the countless years of XO
swirl in the pit of my stomach 
when the last drop disappeared
nothing will erase the memory
of pride within 
the eyes of men

soliders

soliders
warriors
boys
men
penises between legs
rifles in hands
pride in hearts
but grandfather had five 
granddaughters
breasts
vaginas
childbearing hips
had them marked
as failures
since the days of birth
still they rose
with the sun
with their grandfather’s 
bark in their ears
be better 
be more
be men
he never let up
they may have been
girls
to the eyes of the world
but to grandfather
they were his
girls
and God be damned
if the rest of the world
didn’t see
boys
warriors
soliders