Struggle With Identity

My struggle with identity; a cold fight

begun upon conception, punched out

before I saw the light. I'd call a rematch,

if I had that right. I was born a girl

in a misconceived society.

Sex appeal is all I'm good for;

not integrity or content; what a slight,

to find out I am only a rib on Adam's side,

or a winner of wages that do not equal up,

never to break my own bread,

only to mend history’s broken thread.

 

I am not allowed to question why

my sisters are sold into slavery,

and here I must lightly tread

bite my tongue, hold my breath

because demands are responded to

with shaking heads, while I

carefully make the beds, because

only a hundred years ago men thought and said

that womens' brains were less than mens'.

 

And so, I have served myself up

on a golden platter, I have carried this weight,

because I am told it is for the greater good.

While I hold this great globe within my body,

waiting to unfold in a different world where I can say,

without hesitation, without fear of falsifying,

"You, my daughter, choose your own identity.”

 

You will no longer be the fodder,

of misbegotten rules of the larder.

When I open my eyes to find

that the prostitution of our kind

is a prosecutable crime,

when the veil has been lifted

and history has taught us the truth,

that the rights of all man

and woman-kind are absolute,

are not a lie.

Reviews

[N. N. Grainger]

what an amazing piece of poetry! you have taken what every woman thinks to themselves at one point or another and given it a strory and dictated it into a master piece with your special brand of eloquence. this poem truly inspires me, no only as a woman but as the feminist that i can be, the best bits:

'Sex appeal is all I'm good for'- so angry, so passionate...and as unfortunate as it is to say so, quite true.
'to find out I am only a rib on Adam's side' - again very in your face suits the poem well, gets your point accross eve ftw. you show a lot in this verse in quite a few words, womens poor reatment throughout history and even today is not only unjustifyable but pointless.
'shaking heads'- when and where did men take this power from, brute strength and testosterone i guess.
'said that women's brains were less than men's'- again you prove another true point men have asumed their own intelegence yet there is no match to womans natural knowledge of emotions and common sense
'great globe within my body'- "You, my daughter' - love the imagery, the way you portrayed pregnancy, and i love the inspiration at this point, beautiful. referring to the child as a globe, just goes to show she is your world.
'When I open my eyes to find that the prostitution of our kind is a prosecutable crime', -more passion this poem bleeds, cries and sweats passion that i know is real because i know exactly what you mean i can sympathise with every single word of this fantastic write simply because i have two x chromosomes. you make such a statement yet it begs so many questions; the world is run by men and look at what a ****hole it is turning out to be.
In caveman times women were worshipped, where did that go? thank you for sharing your feelings with this one it has both inspired me and made me even more proud than i already was to be a woman. good luck with writing in the future

nat xxx

[LeaflessTree]

Amazing. The words play an idea in my mind and I see it through my eyes as you say it. Wow, no wonder this is such a good poem :)

[Invisible Ink]

Thank you to all of you beautiful women who read this! I am so glad it has meant something!

[Nely Amorim]

clarity and power in every word. bravo :) well spoken.

[Angelic Darkness]

Bravo! This is great. I love the strength here, the wisdom that makes us as women
who and what we are and what we have endured. AD

[Janice Ann]

Wow. This was absolutely fantastic. I loved the history, I loved the truth, I loved the rawness, the anger at a world so screwed, and yet I loved the hope it brought and the dream of a better day! Wow. This was GREAT!

Janice Ann

[Anne Martin]

A prosecutable crime, but not necessarily one that will go to court. It's still a lopsided, misguided world, and we can only chip away at it little by little. Good work.

[A LaDy NaMeD D]

I agree with angel's lady this should be spoken! i loved this.

D

[Angel's Lady]

Oh snap! This should be spoken! Seriously, this is something that should be read!

I cannot pick a favorite line because EVERY LINE is perfect!

Applause, applause!