All I am allowed to be is a purse Looked for to be held underarm My existence made into a curse Like grass in your tidy farm
I take your name, your identity You own me, and I am your property My words means nothing, like jingling keys I am like a dog kept to stay on a leash
I wait on you like a servant Prepare your bath and wash your clothes When it comes to my needs you are adamant I do not count, I am a necessity you chose
You purchased me from my parents Now I owe you my life and existence
Our children are yours But mine to look after when crawling on all fours When they do good, you take credit When they fail, your accusations I merit
I become a shadow moving in your patriarchal world And you wield the authority as a warrior's sword You don't protect me with it But stab my heart continuously until there is left no beat
And in the end I am nothing but the carrier Of your seeds that Populate the earth
This piece touches the experience of women in societies that are patriarchal and a woman's place is disregarded. She's looked down upon and not allowed to have an opinion even in her own home. Unfortunately, this is the plight of the women in the society I grew up in. One would expect that civilization and advancement in the state of mind will curb this, but no. Modern day women are still very much oppressed.