Beneath all the
Deceptive rhetoric about
Protecting this or
Morality that,
There is a fervent
Desire to control women,
Keep them unequal,
Subservient,
In their place,
Catering to the every
Whim of their oppressors.
Thanks for explaining
That to me, it was
Far too complicated for
Someone of my gender to
Understand. I’m so glad I
Have someone like you to
Tell me what everything means,
Especially considering that
I have no brain of my own to
Process such things and
Hate having to
Think for myself since I
Only have a doctorate.
A closed door,
Only one key
Opens it but
Not the one she
Has, nor will
Ever have.
They have seen
To it that she
Only has access to
Certain corridors.
There is no sign
That he’ll ever be
Any other way.
He’s a gentleman,
As attentive as
They come.
When he sees ladies,
He always smiles and
Opens the door for them.
He’s gracious and
Polite, complimenting
Them on their looks.
He unflinchingly believes
They’re wilting flowers
That require his help.
The fairer sex who
Need a strong man
Guiding them.
That’s what his father
Told him, and his
Father before.
Somber hall,
Air of sanctity,
Robed men enter slowly.
At the helm,
The one with the
Biggest hat.
Instructive incantations,
Solemn reminders of
Established order.
Not officiating,
Nor allowed to,
Women.
A young woman approaches him and
Voices her concerns which,
As usual, mean nothing
To him, after all, she’s
From the other camp.
He condescendingly lectures her
On right and wrong,
His moral code trumping all others,
Invalidating anyone who
Isn’t like him.
He tells her to listen but
Doesn’t extend the same courtesy,
Patriarchal dominance.
Without a hint of understanding,
He kills another dream.
He’s very self-satisfied
About asking disingenuous
Questions designed to
Deflect from the issue at hand,
Spewing fallacious reasoning
Intended to denigrate sincere people
Rather than addressing
What they’re advocating for,
A posture born of insecurity,
Privilege, and a need to dominate
Rather than listen to others’ plight,
Cavalierly dismissing issues,
As long as they don’t affect him.
They’re furious because of
Being called out for
Reprehensible conduct,
Something they’ve always
Gotten away with,
Never had to think about,
Rudely pushing
Their weight around,
With no repercussions,
Boorish louts behaving
Disrespectfully and
Never paying for it,
Now upset that
Things are changing.
Advantages abounded
Wherever he went,
No extraordinary effort required,
Just had to be who
He was born as.
Then, one day,
A door was closed,
One had opened for someone else,
A woman no less.
A child denied a toy,
He became bitter, resentful,
Devoting reasonless
Energy to making sure
No one else like him
Would ever have to suffer,
Defer to lesser mortals,
A crusade to reclaim his
Rightful place at the table.
