Burn Your Bras! by Kevin Bennett
The earth was flipped from suspension when women quit being girls;
For, with well thought intention, bad folks changed all the world.
Girls used to be women.
Women used to be ladies.
Ladies used to be beautiful,
And beauty used to be feminine.
Soon paychecks were the standard
By which their sex was empowered;
“Motherhood” was a thing marred:
The patriarchy had showered
Its auspice all over the female
To keep them under its thumbs;
Disgruntled young ladies fought sans fail:
To men no girl should succumb.
Minority leaders decided
That equality wasn’t there.
So from men they were divided
Seeking to advance the “Sex Fair”.
But what from the past was so evil?
Why is it that “childbirth” is cursed?
How can all mothers be weak fools?
Won’t rivalry make things worse?
Promiscuity helps the sun set;
Monogamy is slavery;
White dresses and pretty blue bonnets
Are tools of the patriarchy.
But what about men of the world?
Don’t those poor fools live here too?
How about young male hearts curled?
What of the romances new?
For men are still the grim soldiers—
Sometimes they still can win bread!
And love despite the cold shoulders
Of this cold feminist movement.
See, I want to find a girl lovely—
Who’ll soon grow into a lady;
I want a strong woman mother
Who isn’t fearful of babies.
A God-fearing fiery redhead
With eyes more green than the sea;
And a laugh to blush the fair Venus
With love beholden to me.
Wouldn’t I play the provider?
Wouldn’t she keep me in check?
Wouldn’t I fight to protect her?
Wouldn’t she fix my life’s wreck?
But now all the “womyn” “can do it”,
And biceps are flexed in the posters.
If you disagree you’re a bigot;
A sexist—freedom you would holster.
I may never find that slim maiden—the one with red hair and green eyes.
I’ll work in the mines; waste away in a world where the God-girls have died.
I burned my bras a long time ago. Men are PIGS!
electivedecisions
October 8, 2008 at 7:05 pm
lol. I dig the redhead.
Kevin Bennett
October 8, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I figured this much from the poem.
electivedecisions
October 8, 2008 at 7:20 pm
As a poet, you make a great auto mechanic.
Emmanuel Goldstein
October 13, 2008 at 4:52 pm
While I do know you love shock value and the fight of those who disagree, I thought you need to know that you are quite wrong. You can have any view you want, but please make sure if you are posting it , that you are well-informed. You obviously know nothing about feminism. 1. Women did not burn their bras. 2. You speak of “liberal” feminism here in your poem, and many feminists are not liberal feminists. There are many many different types of feminism and they include such a large percentage of women who take pride in having children and being good mothers, who wear makeup and enjoy the culturally created subjective (which of course makes it no less valid) ideas of beauty. Feminism is a lot more complex than you either understand or give it credit. So please, stop assuming every belief except for yours is one-sided, simple and wrong. It’s very ugly.
Annoyed
October 14, 2008 at 1:12 am
The poem makes no such assumptions; but you obviously do, which very swiftly puts you in a certain “camp” of morality. For information on modern feminism, I’ll refer you to this book, written by a woman who has made it in the professional world and as a mother; read that book, then consider whether or not you understand the movement you laude and defend. I’ll bet you either come away with a different perspective on what you call “modern feminism”, or refuse to consider the question.
http://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Make-World-Worse/dp/1595230092
Kevin Bennett
October 28, 2008 at 6:59 pm