If I were man enough
I would not think of you as property
Consider you, less than me
If I were man enough
I would not silence you
Police your body
Criminalize your movements
Reduced to wife and mother only
If I were man enough
I wouldn't fear your strength
Or feel the need to twist
The beauty of your body
As a weapon against me
If I were man enough
In many ways
We'd be equal already
But I am a pretender
My kind
We are weak
So you must
Cover your bodies
In order not to tempt us
Speak in whispers
Don't ever confront us
Fortunately
You are
And will always be
Like cattle
To my kind and me
Know your place
This poem was inspired by a few news articles.
Image by Terri Cnudde from Pixabay
© 2024 Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.
