avatarEdward Swafford

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POETRY | FEMINISM

She Commands

She sways she pays

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Sultry silhouette draped in crimson bengaline Lashes thick, mascara ravenlike Prismatic and poised She commands, the space between Cognizance concordance consent Male gaze intensity thermic No cooldown, Leering jeering Surreptitious shadows bottlenecking A swarm of ladies and ‘gentlemen’ Constraints of disorderly conduct in check “Mate, hands off the bodywork” Supine searchlight follow Her scent her trail her sus Cep-ti-bil-it-y Room after room after All, she commands Attention. Abstract thoughts Unwelcome Dark desires colorblind to courtship Christ, did she say you could buy her a Drink laced with bale? Iced with wintergreen-flavored Duplicity? Drunken tailwinds fan her stride stumbling Into man, oh man! Trembling Such strong arms vicelike grip EXIT Sign cue adrenaline She commands, ten (or more) commandments Creator turns a blinding eye fate Binding her on this predestined first STOP No means knowing She’s Stage Frightened. Shaken stirred stymied submitting Sweet submission, somber sacrilege, spilt Sentences Dispersing down decolletage Visionaries transmuting vacant face She’s swamped Man, oh man! “You must lift, bro” Braided with muscle apathy atrophied Furrowed brow puckered countenance Lips part for a mutiny mute button Pressssssssssed - hushed in taciturnity An eternity ensuing Deep breath Pitilessly pugnaciously prodigiously Prodigal son - nowise empathy She commands? She. Commands. Veneration.

© Edward Swafford 2023

A big thank you to Scuzzbucket for publishing this poem. It is a work of fiction, yet I drew inspiration from my lived experience as a gay man, frequenting the LGBTIQ+ bars and nightclubs I call home.

It’s not uncommon for me to run into a woman and/or groups of women, who want to have a night out on the town wearing whatever they want, without fearing unwanted (and unwarranted) attention from booze-filled ‘blokes’.

Sanctuaries and safe spaces for women will always be needed.

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