Males are your superior.
The ones you look to for answers.
They are your father, your brother, your son.
But above all
They are your boss.
No matter your age, man is your boss.
No matter your color, man is your boss.
As long as you’re a woman, a man is your boss.
You will not reach equality
Without the means of a man.
But what man wants to relinquish his power?
The superiority that gives success,
To achieve remarkable goals,
To ameliorate his odds?
What man is that crazy?
This man.
Me.
I am a feminist, I see your struggle.
While I can’t understand, I see your burden.
Your setbacks.
The way you’re oppressed into a mold crafted by man.
The mold that says
‘curvy, not fat’
‘please your man’
‘lady in the streets, freak in the sheets’.
And I want to melt this mold with you.
To mold it into something desirable.
Something powerful, something man already attained.
Women are climbing up
from the depths of oppression
And seeing their worth.
There is nothing more powerful
than a woman who knows
she deserves better.
You crawl up,
with high heel blisters,
the belief you’re not good enough,
and boob jobs you didn’t want.
Yet you can’t even earn
the cash
that makes up for such hardship.
You’ve found your way
from underground, onto the surface
only to see a mountain stands in your way.
A mountain wrapped in men.
You could cheat, become an object,
and take the easy way up.
The way they already see you,
a body with no mind.
You could be up there with the big boys,
but not compete.
That’s not what you want.
You look around before taking the first step.
Another woman struggles by your side,
oblivious to your presence.
You call out, and she sees you.
A light in her eyes, like she’s been awakened from a trance.
She nods, and calls out at another woman beside her.
The light in her eyes brightens, and the cycle repeats.
You weigh your odds against the determined women.
You want to be the first to the top, to defeat the others.
But you realize the only way up is together.
The base of the mountain glows, the women ready to climb.
They pull each other up, acting as one unit.
As the mountain grows steeper, some women lose hope.
You grab them as they fall, and continue the trek.
I look down the mountain and see a glow.
It’s getting closer, and I see you shining within.
A smile glides across my face, and I wait.
You reach the final ledge.
I look down and see your ragged clothes,
torn by the jagged mountain.
You shout upwards,
all attention on you.
The gazes almost break you, but you stand your ground.
You explain your journey, your struggles.
The speech provokes male thought.
The men realize their mistakes,
But also what they will relinquish for equality.
Some don’t agree, but many are just uneducated
Taking their privilege for granted.
They just didn’t know what you endured.
A hand grabs you, pulls you to the top.
Men and women alike transcend at the calm peak.
The glow from the women radiates,
and spreads across the sky and to all.