I hate that the word “feminist”
has been co-opted by “feminazi.”
I hate that if I say I am a feminist,
people assume I think women are better.
Because being a feminist must mean:
a. I’m not a humanist
b. I hate women who are home-makers
c. I go around looking for trouble and am oversensitive
I live my quiet life but if I go on a date, I go dutch;
I know I don’t owe him anything,
but I don’t want him to think I do.
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EXCELLENT!! You’re so right that the term has become “less than” what we want it to be. Being wordy, I suppose I’d say, “I’m my own woman”–and then hope I didn’t have to explain it….
Yes, it feels very compromising when it becomes a game of explaining what you’re not instead of what you are.
In the poem, the female narrator goes dutch so he won’t get ideas. There’s the compromise. Still sort of backwards and ironic, isn’t it?
Oh Life, it’s a Headache! I think your poem is not only great, but explains much of why I’ve retreated from any social interactions with men in the “real world”–it just ain’t worth it. Hope your week is going well!