The Woman Becomes a Weapon

The princess is 6 feet tall

She wears 10 inch heels because she is not afraid of any man's insecurities

But she is aware of her footwear's societal origin and will educate you as she reclaims them

 

 

 

She puts red lipstick on as she licks last night's blood from her molars

Straightens pressed white collar

Ready to save the kingdom and make sure her bills are paid on time

 

She doesn't ride a noble steed

Her own two feet carry her to work each morning

Heel worn familiar to concrete on a hot day

Sole ablaze with the bravery it takes to get some place that doesn't want her

And keep coming back

 

They put her at just the right height to look cat callers straight in the eye and ask them what their definition of a compliment is

Before correcting it with a swift kick where she knows will quiet them

 

The other girls at the diner are her knights in shining armor

They manage service with a smile while sharing tips to stay alive

How to be friendly but not too friendly

How land a killer left hook on anyone who crosses you

How to maintain your humanity without becoming a statistic

All while handing over hot plates to pairs of leering eyes that see them as the meal

They learn to defend each other

Their blades are the pepper spray tucked into each apron

Fingers trace its place at their hip as they watch over each other

Each night they call and make sure every girl got home safe

A coven by any other name

 

The dragon is the institutions created to make her feel like the background character

Like the one to blame when things go wrong if she is even mentioned at all

And she cuts them all down with one stiletto fingernail

 

She comes home to more monsters in her own house

Drags her son out by the ear and makes him apologize for treating the girl down the street that way

Reminds him what that kind of love is called

Doesn't hesitate to say the word assault

 

And she is not pretty

And she will not let you tell her that she is

Because since when is ugly an inherently bad thing

She may not be the fairest in all the land

But she is the proudest

The boldest

She possesses the loudest fiercest mouth you have ever seen and is not afraid to use it

 

My princess writes her own story

She keeps records clear

Makes sure everyone can see the bruises

The tears

How hard she fought to be here

Because she knows power goes to the one who holds the pen

 

Every night she sits down and pens a new royal decree

 

In this kingdom we celebrate our fellow women

We understand she does not always have a vagina

She is not always fair skinned

Docile

Quiet

 

We erect statues in the name of self love

We worship our holy bodies and say amen

 

Here, God is a woman

Here, we protect each other

 

This is a house full of voices

For the voiceless

We do not bite our tongues on every "like" and "um"

Because we know dialect is culture

And that all language is evolution

We craft a world in a poem

 

And we hope one day this can be more than a fairytale