When Will They Listen?
A feminist poem
When will they listen?
When will that man listen?
Will that man listen?
When will my approval of myself be enough for a man?
When will a man listen to me for the content of what I say instead of the message he receives from my outfit?
When will a man take me seriously instead of following the curves of my body like a map?
When will a man recognize me as intelligent before the words “beautiful” or “young”?
When will a man acknowledge sexism and rape culture as something he can fight against?
When will this be acknowledged as opposed to something that is simply out of his hands?
When will he realize this is in his hands so directly that women fear those same hands?
When will a man put those hands down and use his words to communicate?
When will a man lose his self-proclaimed entitlement to a woman’s body?
When will my body be mine and only mine?
When will my body be embraced for simply being?
When will my body exist without being preyed upon?
When will my body be more than a piece of meat?
When will my body be mine and only mine?
When will a man admire me for my success and skills instead of putting me down for doing something better than he ever has?
When will a man praise me for something other than things that benefit him?
When will they listen?
I feel,
Flawed.
Excluded.
Misunderstood.
Inferior.
Neglected.
Interrupted.
Sexualized.
Man-handled.
When will they listen to feminists without thinking they are being attacked for their gender?
When will they realize criticizing the feminist movement predicated on equality as an attack on their manhood is hypocrisy at its finest?
When will they understand we love them, but we want their love in return?
When will a man embrace vulnerability as a strength?
When will a man allow difficult conversations about feminism and our patriarchal society to happen?
When will a man admit he lives in that patriarchal society?
When will a man understand the role he plays in that society?
When will a man realize the impact he has and the change he can create?
When will they educate themselves on the intersectionality of issues and systems of oppression?
When will they listen?
When will that man listen?
Will that man listen?
When will a man be proud to be a feminist without fearing ridicule from his peers?
When will a man stand up for a woman and be proud to do so?
When will they listen?
When will feminism be trendy enough to make every woman feel,
Fulfilled.
Empowered.
Meaningful.
Included.
Noticed.
Influential.
Secure.
Motivating.
When will they listen?
When will that man listen?
Will that man listen?
They will listen.
He will listen now.
He will listen.
