I know the rules and rights are
The same:
For boys and girls
And everyone in between,
We are supposed to stand
On the same uneven ground,
With that same vast blue open
If we spread out our arms;
But then, why is it that
If girls are disrespectful
They are “unladylike,”
And if boys don’t listen
They are “little girls?”
Why are smart boys more wondrous
Than that of others
When it takes the same amount of effort
To find ways to soar?
In school I am told
In my little prayer book
That we all have the privilege
Of being God’s sons (and daughters);
What have we done
To be put in parentheses?
Women shouldn’t be a tag-on
If the rules and our rights
Are supposedly the same,
Which I know they technically are;
But now as I press my palms
Against those curved walls around me,
We must figure out if the same rights
Are actually the same
If given different expectations.
Posted in response to the challenge Human Rights – Writing.
Comments
"What have we done to be put in parentheses?" is such a strong and potent question; I honestly feel like you couldn't have found a better example or turn of phrase that gets to the heart of the issue, to feminism itself. As women, we are so often given parentheses around our very existence, but they are wrapped around our actions and proudest achievements too, explicitly or implicitly: "She ran the marathon with such endurance (for a woman)"; "She did well on the chemistry test (for a female student). You've really hit the nail RIGHT on the head, in a way that makes the reader challenge their own internal biases.
Thank you so much!
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