Woman



She can’t be pretty,
Because if she was,
no one would see past her face and her breasts

She can’t be smart,
Because if she was,
no one would give her the opportunity.
No one would see,
That she could be beautiful too

She can’t be sporty,
Because if she was,
Everyone would say it was boring,
It wasn’t as fun as the men’s game

She can’t be gentle,
Because if she was,
Everyone would call her,
Weak, stupid, girly, bimbo

She can’t be strong,
Because if she was,
Everyone would say “she’s so demanding! She’s so pushy! She’s so aggressive!”

She can’t be sad about it,
Because if she was,
Everyone would call her.
Emotional, loud immature

She can’t be ignorant about it,
Because if she was,
She would be clueless

She can’t be wearing a short skirt,
Because if she was,
Everyone would say,
“She’s a slut! She’s a whore! She was asking for it!”

She can’t be fully covered,
Because if she was,
Everyone would say,
“She’s a prude! She’s a terrorist! She wasn’t covered enough!”

What could she be,
Other than a woman?

About this poem

This poem looks at all the choices women have, or lack thereof.

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Written on October 09, 2021

Submitted on October 10, 2021

Modified on March 05, 2023

57 sec read
13

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBx xBaax aBxx xBCx xBx dBCx dBx xBEd xBEx ax
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,059
Words 190
Stanzas 10
Stanza Lengths 3, 5, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 2

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    "Woman" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/111741/woman>.

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