A View of I'm a Feminist

(I don't know what inspired this poem, but it came to me during a slow period at work.  It pretty much speaks for itself.)

"Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction." Original draft of the Equal Rights Amendment, written by Alice Paul in 1923.

When I say,

I’m a feminist, I’m not saying
I don’t want to be feminine.
I love wearing short skirts,
stepping out in stilettos,
and smearing my lipstick on
smooth lips with a hint of a moustache
as much as I loathe
battling my way into a body shaper,
blisters on my freed, swollen fat baby toes,
or the idea of shaving a sliver of a landing strip
into that sweet spot I just may share with you.
I’ve earned every pubic hair,
every follicle is a trophy of maturity;
to trim my trim is false folly, false pretense, and if
you’re seeking to conquer a moist, maiden mound,
to plant a flag then forge on to other frontiers,
then I’m not the girl, can’t be the woman for you.

When I say,

I’m a feminist, I’m saying I can be
girly, giddy, giggly, ga-ga over you
without being beholden to you,
or looked down upon by you.
Girls grow up to be women,
and your every word,
every action,
every gesture,
every fiber of your being,
helps shape the girl that is into
the woman that will be.
I cannot be a woman without
your input, so be careful
what you put into me.

And I don’t just mean when you are

on top of me,
under me,
beside me,
behind me,
I mean watch what you say,
what you mean,
how you do when you put
what you put onto, into
my head, my heart, my whole
when you are with and without me
and don’t put it there unless I tell you to.

When I say,

I’m a feminist, I’m saying
we’re all in this together:
our workplace, so treat me, approach me,
collaborate with me like I’m worthy of my position;
when we’re called to worship, so understand
my way to salvation can’t be the same as yours,
but that doesn’t mean we both won’t eventually get there;
in hallowed halls of higher learning,
because a mind is a terrible thing upon which
to lay waste as we all try to better ourselves, our world.
I’m trying to love, to live, to let myself be
just as much as you, so I don’t need to be
held down by you because you fear
what I may be when you hear me say

I’m a feminist.

I don’t want to grow hair on my chest.
Be beaten and broken by you.
Get groped by gruff, grotesque hands
as I try to go and make some green
for my girls, my boys, for me.
Give up the ability to cry without stigma.
Go to the bathroom standing up….

Okay, I do want to try that one once,

and when I figure out how to do it
using my good girly parts, I will.
Don’t think I haven’t been trying….

When I say,

I’m a feminist, all I’m saying is
I want to be a woman,
want you to acknowledge me as a woman
without either of us giving up any dignity or
having you doubt my ability to think clearly.
I want to be able
to matriculate,
make a home, make a living,
make love, make a baby,
make my voice heard,
make my in my, through my life
in any way I may choose.
 
When I say,
I’m a feminist, I’m simply saying,
Respect me.
When you do,
I’ll respect you, too.

(c) 2011 - Tracey Morris, All rights reserved

Image from the "A Teacher's Education" blog, written by Mrs. Chili