Ladies don't fight back

~for a slam poetry contest I would be participating in~

Let me make myself clear,
they say I throw like a girl.
When it comes to blows and brawls,
I let down my curls, give it a whirl
and fight like a girl.
And when I'm beaten to a pulp,
I lie curled up,
crying like a girl.

They say ladies don't fight back.
Whatever life puts up your way, you accept
with grace and a cupid bow smile.
They say, your might
lies not in the football fields,
with bruises and scraped knees,
and mangled mut hair.
....Hive mind....
Like swarming bees,
they buzz out their opinions in the air.
They say it's not ladylike
of me to stand here, and contradict.
The grind, gravel, and grit
was never for us.
It's not ladylike of me to even cuss,
to breathe too heavily, or talk too much.
As such, or they'd make a fuss.

They put me up on a pedestal,
made me a harlequin-esque puzzle.
They write songs of my beauty, my grace.
They talk of my body, and pretty face.
They made me a topsy turvy maze,
that cannot be deciphered and decoded.
A simpering violet, with my petals all folded up.
It's tough to take me seriously,
it's actually pretty darn ridiculous,
when they end up making me
sound tougher than solving Calculus.
My no's, they mean a yes
And my yes, is definitely a no.
My womanly woes
make for a gripping conversation
over evening teas.
On glossy magazines, growing up, I'd often see
pages upon pages of men trying to grapple my identity.
To them, I'm an enigmatic entity,
sent out only to be a remedy
for their troubling katzenjammers.
With bats and hammers,
they'll try to chisel out that perfect woman from me
I see the lack of empathy,
their attacks on my personality.

So I just stare with my floozy blue eyes,
smile with my rosy lips.
Smile and compliment
and comply
to their wheezes, whims and whacks
beating my identity blue and black.
I hold my tongue, coz ladies--
they don't fight back.

Author's Note

This is entirely experimental on my part, since I don't usually preach about any social causes in my poetry. I wrote this within an hour to meet the time limit. I think this style doesn't really sound as good on paper, as it does when read out loud.

"Ladies don't start fights, but they can finish them!"
--Marie(from The Aristocats)
Truer words were never said!!

Reviews

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Moon's daughter... I fight like a Tigeress with purrs and prayers...
keeping a Tigers Eye on every move that a man might take... with my
Virtue at stake... truly, Pat

[Franky]

Well, I like it! It comes together very well. It makes statements that are hard to argue with. This isn't hard to swallow as a man either. Well done!

[Pete]

interesting with a good flow. made me chuckle a few times. some of the most admirable/memorable women i have known flout convention and go against the grain. there is something very attractive about a woman who goes her own way and does not conform to any predetermined mold. many perceived "ladies" aren't really very ladylike. history has born out some strong, independent rebels ... :)

[john l smith]

A serious/humorous write
Too many ladies are victimized because they can't effectively fight back but things such as self-defense training and mace workalikes help to balance the field somewhat.
A bit of common sense doesn't hurt either

[Robert Trakofler]

Well experiment or not, its all fun! I love the word flow track of thought style for this reason the subtleties get thrown out the window and you just smack them across the head. I get what you said about the reading aloud part but truthfully i didn't have to... your voice came thru pretty loud and clear in the wording. For a literary throw up you squeezed a lot of rhythm and rhyme into this I'm pretty impressed it has a very nice flow! Now the bunny's two cents... I often joke about this to my friends when A guy walks into a bar (speaking as one)....sorta.... He surveys his surroundings now I'm not saying this is a conscious act but he looks at the competition... okay that one looks like he could pose a problem in a brawl and no I can take that one out... Hmm probably should not sit next to that one etc etc. When a girl walks into a bar she looks at the competition that one has a nice body... she is pretty.. look at those shoes yuck, what a horrible outfit etc etc. Two perspectives same M.O. I bar tended for years i have observed this phenomenon a myriad of times. It is present day primal I must attract the most virile & astute man to ensure that my offspring will have a better chance to survive. in order to do this I must be the prettiest and smartest looking girl in the room. No matter how much we try to deny it we are still cavemen in silk suits. sorry the bunny rambles but I would also like to add true strength is of the mind not the body

[JimSatire]

Teach please teach, this says push the boundaries of your gender, and there is no shame in saying. Stand up and fight better than a man. Never apologize for what you accomplished here

[jacob erin-cilberto]

this reminds me of two things...a poem called "Barbie Doll" in which the speaker succumbs to be what others want her to be as far as looks....and Plath who found herself living the subordinate life under Ted's thumb, or any male's thumb...and yet in her poetry she was aggressive as hell...that is where we saw the tiger rise...as she said in her poem "Lady Lazarus" "i rise from the ash and I eat men like air"---
i would love to hear you read this out loud...
it needs to be.
j.

[Autumn L Gibbs]

I think you did amazing. I just really love this poem. I believe us girls are definitely more than pretty faces, and fashion. We work hard. we can be whatever we want, and can still obtain a part of the soul, heart, that makes us ladies. You did outstanding!
A.G.

[Richard🖌]

Hi, Poetess,
My first read of your work has left an indelible impression.
I find this to be quite insightful of society's mores, that are piled onto both genders unmercifully.
In a crafty sort of quick-moving rap or slam poetry style, your lines are cram-packed full of facetious flavors, calling out for contrition from every bigoted source we all fight against; or, all too often, give-in to. And, your level of sarcasm tells me you you haven't -- nor, are about to surrender.
Grammar (including capitalization and punctuation), syntax, flow, rhyme and near rhyme are all spot-on, making following and understanding your enlightened thoughts, feelings, emotions, inferences, and poetry easy and concisely succinct … what a genuine pleasure you make reading.

It's such a treat to tap into the brain and heartfelt depths of a skilled writer, who actually uses it to think about what she's expressing … humbly, most gratefully, I bow! ⁓ Richard 🍃

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Not sure I agree with the sentiment but the thrust of this piece, detailed as it is, certainly opens up the age old debate about gender balance.