By Ishrath Fathima
Kitchen toys for infant females;
Overworked women locked in a kitchen.
Fairytales of prince charming holding a rose;
Knife-yielding prince charming.
Sit like a good girl;
Submit to your husband’s desires and whims.
Learn to compromise and adjust;
Makeup to conceal purple bruises of abuse.
Pay attention to the length of your skirt;
He’s family. Quieten down, guard our honour.
Help in the kitchen, learn to cook;
Husband is tired and hungry but she just returned home, too.
Don’t talk too loud, don’t yell;
Screams muffled by a louder voice.
Don’t say no;
Body violated by an overpowering grasp.
Quit your job, take care of the children;
You do nothing at home.
Don’t go out in the sun;
Who will marry you?
Be soft-spoken and sacrificing, that’s what women do;
Who is she again?
Cars or kitchen toys;
Men can cook, too.
Respect and love;
Never a patriarch.
One leg over another is comfortable;
Control the patriarchy.
Be assertive;
Makeup because it is art.
Short skirts are chic;
Rapists are criminals not family.
Cooking is a basic household chore.
Men can do chores, too.
Strong and unwavering opinions;
The only voice that must quiver is that of misogyny.
No is a full sentence;
Consent is a parenthesis.
Mothers work hard;
Homemakers are also working mothers.
Under the sun is the best place for children to play;
Marriage is a relationship not a signed contract.
Persisting is what women do;
She is a woman, again.
Let her fly.
What are men afraid of?
Are they afraid of her shattering the patriarchy?