she is to keep quiet

is what the bible said

some two thousand years ago 

and so, the world spins 

as women wed

quickly after, kids in tow

as their husbands scream and shout and whine until they get their way 

they pay no mind to being kind

because, oh yes, they pray

and lest we forget 

the blood-red marks

they strike into their daughters

these contusions,

the same color as the wine He made from water

seeds are sown 

youth is thrown

and this is known 

this is known

but she is to keep quiet 

is what the men say

everywhere she goes 

but i will not

we will not

in poetry and in prose

we will deliver 

for all those who were forced to deliver 

we will not allow our futures to be sold down the river

by men who think they ought to be seen as the giver 

give her the same life your sons get to live 

or when you're old and gray she may not know how to forgive 

we demand 

an end to the chauvinism 

before you turn your own kid

into a disgusting, raping, sexist monster

just like your dad did