Khaleesi – To the Men Who Mistreat Women

This powerful poem stopped us in our tracks. Note it is NSFW.

“Khaleesi”

us women; merely second opinion

but first appetite

are taught early how to restrain the wolves,

when the men converge

all gnawing teeth and salivating fangs

these insatiable men who snarl us out of our lineage

sabertooth non-believers who cannot consider

how loud we can be

how brass and trombone this world has played us

there is no place here to

unravel yourself for them

bow your head

unlearn your name

for those of us

who introduce

the bold- face of mouth

become a whore’s tooth

become agile breast

become unbounded thighs

I learned to be quiet

when the anvils of

a false prophet

mistook my 13

for playground

only the quiet survive

I saw my mother

give her body to a man

she didn’t even know

didn’t even love like that

my eyes swallowed the whole of him and her

and all that it meant

to know who I came from

shook loose her skin

the last time a lover begged for me beautiful

for origami hands someone

who could crease fold his skin

I told him

I was the aftermath of paper

when it bows out of pretty

when the wind smacks it straight on its back

we’ve been smacked straight on our backs

too often for someone to assume us to be fragile daughters of eve

simple creatures only of night

and the devil who plagues us

we are not only a mouth and luring siren

we are the women

who dare think of ourselves as more than a fuck

when we lend are thoughts to breath

we know often

we are speaking the words that will kill us

for we are then called

bitch

cunt

whore

never a voice

just static sound

I learned to yell

when I met the devil

he would make cigarette burns

on my mother and call it chimney

birthed me a riot

now I speak with intention

will not cower to the buildings of men

who belittle me orphan

chastise all that I have to say

it is always too much or nothing

all nag or too shy

when your voice is a shot gun: a warning

to the careless

they will make sweetmeat out of you

go ahead

I have seen hell enough times

to know its scorch

it has taught me to forge this voice into a sword

sharpened tongue that’ll carve the bones

back into your lost

your stone-jaw threat does not cause my peace to be still

this is our birthright

this is our inherit

we are women who capsize entire crowds

with the sayings of the wind

holy knuckles

full

of fight

Originally appeared at Upworthy.