The things they don’t tell you…a poem

they don’t tell you
that as a woman
you will be silenced
your voice stolen
they don’t tell you
that life will be more
difficult
because you aren’t male
they don’t tell you
that you’ll be prey
and exist under
the male gaze
they don’t tell you
that what they are telling you
is more of what you can’t do
than what you can
they don’t tell you
that you can’t
trust
anyone
without putting yourself
at risk
they don’t tell you
that you will be responsible
for what happens to you
even if someone else
does it to you
they don’t tell you
that you won’t make as much
money as men
who do the same job
they don’t tell you that
having children is
forever
that men can walk away
and leave you with nothing
they don’t tell you
that your
power comes
through
him
that being with a man
means safety
from
other men
they don’t tell you
that ceilings are made of
glass
that your intelligence will be dismissed
because you are female
that your ideas will be stolen
that you will be ignored
and harassed
they don’t tell you that
you won’t be taken seriously
they don’t tell you that if you’re
blond and FEMALE
people won’t take you seriously
they don’t tell you
that the night
doesn’t belong to you
that the laws
protect men
that medicine uses men
as a model
they don’t tell you
that you aren’t allowed
to age
they don’t tell you
how many women are
raped every few minutes
how many are beaten
how many are murdered
they don’t tell you any of those things
when you’re a girl
because if they told you
the truth
who would want to live here
in a world
that kills you
a little
at a time

Photo:  Isabella Mariana
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