I pulled off my skin,
stripped down to my heart
just for you.
Breasts gone -
do you recognize
I am still the same?
Touch me sweetly,
but not down there -
that's not who I am.
Leave your skin.
Forget your manhood
and be one with me.
Tongues can dance:
with genitals discarded,
we are just the same.
Four eyes,
two hearts,
two souls.
Our mouths have
no identities.
Why should we?
Gender is a tool, a label –
an excuse for society
to keep two lovers separate.
Love and lust
are just as strong
in me as in you.
We are male,
we are female -
let me see your heart.
Let me hold the sword.
Today, you can be
the chalice.
Does it feel any different, love,
to bleed, to feel
the body’s juices flowing?
Let me see
who you really are
inside.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Hi, BW. I have to echo some of the other comments on here when I say this is the first poem I've seen on this subject, anywhere, unless one counts some of the lyrics from Hedwig & the Angry Inch (a FANTASTIC movie, I might add.) I think you handled it elegantly-- I love the short lines, the triplet stanzas. The spare language echoes the message of getting to basics. The soul is sexless.
A powerful, passionate piece. I look forward to reading more of yours.
Pie
language: 5, rhythm: 5, subject: 5, tone: 5, form: 5.
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hey blue witch
this was very well done, an outstanding idea that if we really want to connect with someone we might have to go beyond our respective genitalia. i guess "we" collectively must be really off track because everybodys getting boob jobs and penis enchancement so the focus is there more than ever.
anyway the way you said it the structure and the way you make your point was perfect.
dave -
This is the first poem I've read exploring this subject
This is a very passionate and longing piece. You can feel the yearning. If only she could make him understand, then surely he would agree.
I especially enjoyed the lines:
Gender is a tool, a label –
an excuse for society
to keep two lovers separate.
Gender is highly socially constructed and vastly varies in definition from one society to another. In our particular society these norms are very strictly adhered to and anyone outside this norm is often rejected.
I agree that the physical aspect is usually an obstacle in truly knowing someone. If only those things didn't matter.
Beautiful poem and sentiment.
language: 5, rhythm: 5, subject: 5, tone: 5, form: 4.
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I liked the idea of the poem. Stripping things down to what really matters:
"Four eyes,
two hearts,
two souls."
The bare essentials. Though this could raise a lot of arguments, i also think the concept of gender has become too dichotomized. The first stanza was strong and confrontational. It does draw the reader in. This poem asserts its belief and communicates things well. There were a few times though that the strength loosened midway, but the ending regains it.
interesting thought.
-iphios
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