Female Rage
As a man, I can talk about female rage.
No, I am not going to go on and on
About how female rage doesn’t exist.
In fact, I have experienced female rage,
In the form of a female, when I was still a woman.
I’ve experienced weird men hitting on me,
I’ve experienced that I’m too emotional
And I have had men talk down to me about my car.
I only need an oil change; no I don’t need new tires.
I’ve used toilet paper because a tampon was too expensive
And the bathroom managed by men did not have any provided.
I’ve had men stare at me when I was younger,
My dad called a guy I liked because he was sending *Un-consensual* sexual innuendos.
I was in seventh grade, I had no idea what he was talking about.
I’ve been told to cover up as a child as grown men.
I’ve been told to wear two bras instead of one
Because one could not seem to hold my sisters back.
I was given dresses to wear on a daily basis,
Only to be asked why I was so dressed up.
In a world full of cis men,
There is no way to be a woman comfortably.
You are judged for every decision you make.
Even now, traces of female rage linger
In my body. Perhaps it is because I
Have not transitioned, or perhaps that,
No matter what, I will always be a man
In a female’s body, so I will never truly be a man.
I’ll only be cosplaying as a man with races of
Femineity in my genetic coding.
To Be A Rock
Sometimes I think I woke up in the wrong body.
“Sit Still” they say to me;
“Dramatic” they say as
They handed me my
“most dramatic” Award.
I was a woman in the world once,
Navigating girlhood like
There was some set of
Invisible instructions everyone got
(I think I got the wrong set of instructions).
Being a girl meant you could cry,
But don’t be a drama queen.
It’s your fault that a grown
Man looked at you when you were twelve.
Don't stop wearing skirts.
Now, I’m a trans man, trying to navigate this world
Following the instructions I got.
I feel better. I feel me. I feel
Like puzzle pieces falling into place,
Snuggling into fluffy clouds.
I’m a man, but everyone looks at me like a woman.
I shut myself down,
Happy that someone
Is interested in my body – instead of me.
What do I expect in a world made for cis men?
Oh, to be reborn as a rock.
Genderless, calm, still.
Oh,
To be a rock.
About the Author:
Lennon Shumate is a 21-year-old trans man living in Louisiana. He got his high school degree
from West Monroe High School. He currently studies as an undergraduate student at
Northwestern State University, studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing.
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