I don't always pleasure myself in public,
I don't always adjust or scratch my balls
just like you can't do yours.
I can't go commando,
just like how you can't go braless.
I don't always checkout your breasts,
Sometimes I find that quote on your shirt interesting.
I don't always sit with my legs
wide open.
I don't always offer you a seat,
considering we are equal.
I don't always push myself against you when inertia works upon my body.
I don't always get a chance to explain myself,
before the crowd beats me up after listening to your fallacy.
I don't get a chance to shout when you almost grab me with your piercing nails & push me out of the way.
I don't always get a chance to report if touched inappropriately
in crowd, buses or in streets.
When you almost destroy my
invisible crotch!
I certainly don't feel objectified
looking at men just in their underpants on those huge billboards.
I don't always wear pink
because that will make me look gay! No?
& similarly I don't always grow long hair.
I don't always know how to drive.
I don't always win the bread.
I don't always get raped.
(because it just can't happen to me)
I don't always get killed
when we both fall in love equally.
I don't always think about sex.
I don't always use my dick to think.
I don't always have a big dick.
I don't always behave like a dog.
I don't always show off my abs and biceps.
I don't always have to be tall, dark and handsome.
I don't always roam in my Bentley.
I don't always call for help when I fall prey to violence.
I don't always feel scared on a lonely road.
I don't always complain when I get traumatised with your daily scream.
I don't always try to take your advantage.
I don't always turn possessive.
I don't always pass you a remark.
I don't
I don't
I simply don't!
But you won't listen to me anyway.
You don't always listen to what I have to say.
You'll laugh and question "who supresses your voice anyway"?
What can make you fragile or miserable anyday?
At this point writing it all
seems futile,
you'll detest me anyway.
I don't let things out this way
But when I do,
then I puke it out in a misogynistic way.
-Shakti
I don't always adjust or scratch my balls
just like you can't do yours.
I can't go commando,
just like how you can't go braless.
I don't always checkout your breasts,
Sometimes I find that quote on your shirt interesting.
I don't always sit with my legs
wide open.
I don't always offer you a seat,
considering we are equal.
I don't always push myself against you when inertia works upon my body.
I don't always get a chance to explain myself,
before the crowd beats me up after listening to your fallacy.
I don't get a chance to shout when you almost grab me with your piercing nails & push me out of the way.
I don't always get a chance to report if touched inappropriately
in crowd, buses or in streets.
When you almost destroy my
invisible crotch!
I certainly don't feel objectified
looking at men just in their underpants on those huge billboards.
I don't always wear pink
because that will make me look gay! No?
& similarly I don't always grow long hair.
I don't always know how to drive.
I don't always win the bread.
I don't always get raped.
(because it just can't happen to me)
I don't always get killed
when we both fall in love equally.
I don't always think about sex.
I don't always use my dick to think.
I don't always have a big dick.
I don't always behave like a dog.
I don't always show off my abs and biceps.
I don't always have to be tall, dark and handsome.
I don't always roam in my Bentley.
I don't always call for help when I fall prey to violence.
I don't always feel scared on a lonely road.
I don't always complain when I get traumatised with your daily scream.
I don't always try to take your advantage.
I don't always turn possessive.
I don't always pass you a remark.
I don't
I don't
I simply don't!
But you won't listen to me anyway.
You don't always listen to what I have to say.
You'll laugh and question "who supresses your voice anyway"?
What can make you fragile or miserable anyday?
At this point writing it all
seems futile,
you'll detest me anyway.
I don't let things out this way
But when I do,
then I puke it out in a misogynistic way.
-Shakti
Shakti, thank you for writing this.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading this.
DeleteMasculinity is a fraught terrain, especially now it seems, when cisgender straight men who are 'woke' are wondering how to express themselves sexually and socially in a way that is not sexist or even potentially misogynistic. Add to that traditional masculinity seems incompatible with men voicing their own stories of abuse and insecurities, and I can see where many men would identify with the general sentiment of the poem.I myself have faced a few situations when women have assumed the worst of me.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I would also like to say that the poem might possibly come across to some as veering a bit close to the 'Not All Men' cliche, which misses the point that feminist critiques, have never targeted all men in the first place, but male privilege and patriarchal structures, which oppress men too, as your poem shows.
Your poem raises some important questions about masculinity, and I like it for that, I just feel it's in danger of reproducing the type of black and white viewpoint it decries, except that it's now directed at an amorphous feminine "you". #NotAllWomen?
Thanks Nelson for sharing your thoughts about it. Well to be honest I somewhere knew how it'll create a situation of drastic viewpoints.But I wanted that the reader picks either of the lenses that you mentioned above. The very awareness that the feminist critiques never targeted all men, but if not then why in contemporary times it results in creating such situations which are evident that this aspect is missing out.Yes, the idea was to bring forth how patriarchy produces people who puke this way and I won't deny at some point in life I was affected by it too. But since there is so much going around, many of them make a choice to suppress it and later it comes out in a terrible way. Sometimes it just becomes too complicated while making some decisions, who decides the line from where it is considered as cliche? And why won't it act like a cliche when it comes to other or opposite genders. So in a nutshell this is just an entry point to think about issues that you have pointed out.
DeleteThanks Nelson for sharing your thoughts about it. Well to be honest I somewhere knew how it'll create a situation of drastic viewpoints.But I wanted that the reader picks either of the lenses that you mentioned above. The very awareness that the feminist critiques never targeted all men, but if not then why in contemporary times it results in creating such situations which are evident that this aspect is missing out.Yes, the idea was to bring forth how patriarchy produces people who puke this way and I won't deny at some point in life I was affected by it too. But since there is so much going around, many of them make a choice to suppress it and later it comes out in a terrible way. Sometimes it just becomes too complicated while making some decisions, who decides the line from where it is considered as cliche? And why won't it act like a cliche when it comes to other or opposite genders. So in a nutshell this is just an entry point to think about issues that you have pointed out.
Delete