A woman yes! But my gender is irrelevant to who or what I am.
By Stanley Collymore
Don’t try taking me for granted as you obviously contemplate
doing and I’m fully aware is your secret intention. Yes, I
readily agree that you have a number of interesting and
even innovative things that you want to say and do
and which if suitably and wholly implemented by
those whom you’re very much endeavouring to
impress and convince do take them onboard
will doubtlessly make you a very important
and self-satisfied man. But lest you should conveniently
forget I’m not only a woman but also a person in my
own right and neither an adjunct of your life nor for
that matter some suitable concubine of yours that
at your behest you can manipulate at will to do
your specific bidding at that precise moment
in time. So please, do credit me with the
intelligence that I have and a mind of
my own to make the relevant decisions that of necessity
I appropriately regard as fit about what matters I as
relevant at the time of my doing so, and if you’re
in any real doubt about them, then do question
me intelligently, and painstakingly if you so
wish, about any of them, and not haughtily
and patronizingly take to presuming that
by being a man you’re therefore much
more knowledge of what’s best and
accordingly know everything and
in contrast by being a woman I
should always obediently be
a completely unthinking,
and idiotic underling.
© Stanley V. Collymore
9 December 2016.
Author’s Remarks:
This poem is specifically written for and dedicated to all of the female students at whatever level of their academic studies that I’ve taught them and collectively over a period of several years of teaching them.
It’s also for the several female members of my biological family, close feminine friends, my former girlfriends and lovers who understandably still mean a lot to me and several of whom now happily married and with families of their own still mutually keep in touch; and all of whom individually and collectively have helped to reciprocally shape the respective life that we each of us individually have forged for ourselves.
And furthermore for anyone else who can empathize with this poem and has benefited from it in any way.
