Cold Brewed Feminism
Cold Brewed Feminism
You soaked the seeds at the age of three
When you bought her a kitchen set and him a toy car,
Uprooting away all the tiniest possibilities
Of her being a racer and him being a chef......
You added water at the age of six,
When you dressed her up as a fairy and him as a superhero
For a fancy dress show,
Even though he adored the ribbons and she craved a cape
You began refrigerating the mixture at the age of 9
When you told her to straighten the pleats of her skirt
Before taking a seat fearing she might ignite lust
And asking him to "man up" and jump off a
platform three times his height and he did fearing it might come as a speck on
his yet to develop masculinity ......
You began filtering the liquid at the age of 15
When you fuelled her obsession with tinier waists and sunken cheeks
And his love for abs and unrealistic muscles .....
You stored the brew in cold conditions
And have been using it ever since,
Sometimes by telling her to settle down,
Be less ambitious and prioritise having kids over getting a promotion,
Sometimes by telling him that women are some monolithic creatures
Who are always good, pure and victimised,
Sometimes by laughing when he reported an assault,
Sometimes by ignoring when she raised an issue.
You cold brewed feminism just the way it shouldn't have been
And now you complain about the way it turned out.