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.