literature

I Am a Girl

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TheMagnificentMorado's avatar
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Literature Text

I am a girl, therefore I'm worthless.
I am a disappointment to my parents.

I am a thing to be sold for profit.
I am property to a stranger.

I am a body used for the pleasure of men.
I am a slave to my promised husband.



"Yes, Sir."
"Yes, Mistress."

These are the only things I'm allowed to say.
If I say anything else I will be punished.

I shall face a punishment.
Several that no one should be allowed to face.



Beaten.
Molested.

Disposed of.
I fear all of it.

But sadly, it would be nothing new.
I shall be punished for simply taking a breath.



I wish to take my final one.
I "belong" in the kitchen, after all.

I have possession of the knife.
This decision shall finally be mine.

My fear melts away, and my neck turns cold.
I shall take my freedom...



Yes, I have taken it.
My freedom.

However, it was not by means of bloodshed.
It was not by means of "relief."

It was by means of struggle.
It was by by means of the impossible.



Fighting.



No longer shall I hide my face behind blue.
My hair shall be hidden because of God, not man.

I shall marry at a chosen age to a chosen man.
I shall learn through books and science.

I have the ability to do this all.
I am a girl, therefore I'm powerful.
...I SAW GIRL RISING AND HALF THE SKY AGAIN, OKAY!?

I decided to use a different formatting it add to the tone. I tried to put in different cultural difference, not focusing on the discrimination you find in the US, such as marrying off a twelve-year-old or molestation that is "fine" because of the culture. However, women are powerful and strong, no matter the age.

Several girls all around the world have fought for their freedom and to have their voice heard. Malala Yousafzai, for a younger example, allowed herself to be shot for what she believes in. 

UPDATE 3/9/18: Four years later and I received another notification on this, so I decided to check out the comment section. Overall, I'm still proud of this poem, though I might have used some stronger word choice if I was writing it now. For any new readers, I think I need to address some things, as the comments reminded me that some people won't understand what I was going for.

1. 
If this poem makes you upset or angry, but not angry at me, then it had its intended effect. If not, then I suggest either reading the entirety of this description or just...read it again and try to figure out why not. It can say a lot about yourself, and not necessarily something negative.

2. I am in no way going against men in this poem. Hilariously enough, I tried to clear this up in the poem itself before publishing it with the line "Yes, Mistress," as some girls are also made into slaves that serve their "master" and his wife, both of whom abuse these girls. Sadly, this still happens today in certain countries. If you're male, unless I hear you say something disgusting and/or bigoted I'm going to assume you're a decent human being.

3. This poem is NOT ABOUT ME. I live in the United States, but as I mention in the first line in the description, I was inspired by two documentaries Girl Rising and Half the Sky, which I highly recommend watching. This poem was made in an attempt to understand those girls' lives even more, even if I can't live them (thank God).

4. Some people have claimed that I made this poem for attention, mimicking feminist poems that had just recently become popular. I already explained my muse, but those comments genuinely made me laugh because at the time, I was fourteen and had somehow not even fully grasped the concept of "feminism" yet (the original definition, not the..."Tumblr" variant). These two documentaries were my first exposure to highlighting these issues outside of Malala and I watched them over and over until I wrote this poem. I didn't know anyone else even thought about these issues, much less wrote about them as well. That was a pleasant surprise for fourteen-year-old me.

5. Some people in the comment section rant about Adam and Eve. They're referencing a line in the description I deleted when I saw how many people were focusing on it instead of the poem. It got an...interesting reaction.
© 2014 - 2024 TheMagnificentMorado
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no it's not true you are wonderful well if you are nice

not worthless