Dear Men

Dear Men

Between the lines, you speak
Of status.
You speak of competition,
Holding on to power.
You don’t speak of holding on
To people,
When people aren’t status.

When I speak, I speak instead
Of trust.
Sharing houses, bodies, minds
And each other’s feelings
Without reservation.
I discuss being trustworthy
In all things.

I go to work, play your game.
Compete for power.
Ignoring all day
My fear of distrust.
Then go home scrambling
Hoping I’m still a woman,
Making amends to society
The rest of the time.

Sometimes I try talking
About what you could do,
To grow my trust, to make me feel loved.
But I sound demanding. And angry.
Because I am angry all the time.
You focus on defending yourself.
On being blamed unfairly.
And we fight.

I don’t think you see
The depth of culture imposed,
Taking meaning for certain.
We live as aliens with you,
Incomprehensible,
Angry and confused,
In constant friction,
Trapped between the worlds.