Catherine Heath
May 2020
Men are born into grace,
While women must struggle for salvation,
And discover
The wonder and beauty
Of the world.
We find salvation
In each other––
Two worlds
That may never meet,
For we refuse to see.
Why do we need feminism,
When so many men
Are suffering;
Drowning in their own pain?
I hate these games
Of egotism
Disguised as morality––
It disgusts me,
Completely.
Women are called to evolve,
And they won’t listen––
Instead, they complain about lipstick,
And a tentative touch
Not well received.
Will we ever bridge the gap?
Or would we rather complain,
About you and me?
About this and that––
Wasting seconds, minutes, hours
Of precious life,
When we could be dancing,
Laughing,
Kissing––
Revelling in our own freedom,
And driving ourselves mad
With passion.
If you don’t know how to reach out,
Approach!
Be vulnerable,
Be foolish,
Be wrong.
If you hate men,
Then think about God,
Think about suffering,
Other humans writhing
Silently in pain.
Think of all the men
Who raised us from the dust,
Protected women,
And sacrificed themselves––
Not for gain––
But to save us all.
Ignore the few bad people
(We’re all bad people,
Sometimes),
And think of the glowing amber eyes
Of your lover,
Your first kiss
From that awkward boy
Across the road,
And try not to cry
From the sweetness of it.
Then try, and try,
And try,
Again,
There are no points for trying––
But you will live,
And you will be free;
Free like me,
And him.
Passion reawakened
Is beautiful––
Think about art;
Consider the possibility
That you have an eternal soul,
Then run,
Dance,
Laugh.
Go home
And write a mad poem about it––
Then do it all again
(Don’t mind what anyone says).
Men must learn to feel,
And not die from the pain of it,
While women
Must read books
About more than romance
(Though those are good too).
What would it take
To win prince charming,
And become a couple
Who would devastate the world?
Let passion be your guide;
Follow it to the ends of the earth,
Until you find yourself
Right back home again.
There’s more to life
Than handbags,
And lipstick––
Or angry rhetoric.
Do just as they said:
Find a nice boy
To be your guide,
Then go out
And explore the world.
(You know you’re getting close
When you are truly
Afraid.)
Enlightenment is terrifying.
(Forget about personality disorders)––
Get a personality,
Then smash it,
And find another one,
Then share it
With someone you'll one day love.
Find a woman
Who you think is a goddess,
And follow her
Right down to hell.
Talk to gloriously intelligent men,
And kiss the hot ones
(But don’t tell anyone),
And sail off
Into the setting sun.
I am violently female.
Light the fire in him,
And stoke the fire in you.
I'm not looking for the perfect man
(I rather enjoy imperfect men)––
But when I find the right one,
I hold on,
And never let him go.
