Wo(men)

A Poem on gender inequity

Photo by Kirill Balobanov on Unsplash

To live in a progressive society
yet for the gender hierarchy be
so evident
is humiliating
For the absence of an organ
be causation for
unemployment
rape
and being taken advantage of
Halcyon days
be ruined
for it takes
a woman to walk down the street
showered in objectification
to return home
in another hour duration
mirror session
reflecting on her every flaw
and why she wasn't good enough
to meet societal standards
To wail and weep
as insecurities strangle her throat
the same way
the men on the street do
To be hurt mentally by
confines of the male apprehension
to be lacerated physically by
heavy-set men
undisturbed by her shrieks
to let go
for their grips to tighten
against bruised callous
skin