Maybe One Day

By Naimh Hutchison, New College Swindon

No one prepares you for the changes of growing up.

Growing up in a word full of Narcissistic men.

Men,

the forefront of the world.

Men,

does it please you when I dress like that?

When all you do is stare,

but not at my empathetic eyes

or my pretty smile.

When all you do is stare,

do you think about me?

Do you think about how the feeling of vulnerability in my stomach grows?

but who knows?

Maybe one day it will be different.

Maybe one day we will be able to walk down the street,

without a glare,

or a stare.

Maybe one day we will feel safe.

Maybe one day we will feel comfort in the arms of a man.

Maybe one day our worth won't be defined by the way our bodies look:

The curve of our boobs,

or the flick of our hips.

Maybe one day the complexity and integrity of our minds will be noticed.

Recognised.

Respected.

Not the recoil of our asses as we walk.

Maybe one day we will feel comfortable in the presence of a man.

But for now, we will just hope,

that our daughters won't have to experience

The Patriarchal glare of this cruel oppressive world

forced upon us by

Men.