DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Lay Your Burden To Rest

 

She’s always been a hard worker--  

She loved the idea of holding her own

not needing to rely on people

Her mother

Her father

Her brother

Other brother

Other brother

 

Being independent, acknowledged, free

 

Only at thirteen, working the graveyard shift

Questions:

“Do your parents not work?”

“What could you possibly need money for?”

“Why do you make things harder for yourself?”

“Your parents let you work??”

“But aren’t you Arab?”

 

Remarks:

“You're too pretty to work here”

“It is so easy for you to just find a sugar daddy”

“Don't lift that, it's too heavy. You need to have babies one day”

“Who’d you fuck to get this job”

“I'd love to see you outside of your work clothes”

 

And when her manager

36 years old

Raped her--

He said it was because she wanted it

Her pants

Too tight

Her shirt

Too low

Her eyes

Too seductive

He finally had his opportunity

an A-rab girl

 

Frustrated with her response-- her rejection

How could this girl not allow me to lay my burden between her legs?

She must be playing hard to get, he puffed to justify his masculinity, his pride

That wouldn't stop him though

He liked a challenge

And when she screamed, and shouted, and cried, and resisted

And looked for any excuse to make him stop

I’m on my period

I’m bleeding”

“I’m scared”

His grip only got tighter and he only tried harder

As she squealed

Sobbed

Surrendered

 

This is for the men, who subconsciously allow society to make them feel automatically wanted

By giving them more prestigious jobs, secure jobs, and second chances over

and over

and over

again

This is for the men who don’t believe in sexual harassment--because it hasn't happened to them

This is for the men---

Sorry, I meant the boys.

 

The boys who expect their wives to drop their careers and stay at home, cook, clean, prepare his hot bath, answer the door in lingerie, become a baby makin’ machine, give him foot rubs

But god forbid she wants to pursue a career:

“That selfish bitch, how could she allow a nanny to raise her kids while she works”

She must be on her period

She must have fucked someone who promoted her

That color doesn't compliment her

Who gave her a license!

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

 

This is also for the men who are not afraid to jump out of that “box” that was created for us in order to reproduce these gender roles and maintain this hell of a patriarchal society

 

For the men who stand up for what they believe in despite being called a “wimp”, “mama’s boy”, “sissy”, “faggot”, “bitch”, “girl”.

 

 

Those are the men. That defy the social norms and express their feelings of  love, excitement, sadness, confusion, anger, curiosity, pain, frustration, humiliation, shame, grief, resentment, loneliness, low self-worth, and self-doubt.

 




 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.