Kash Baloch — Poetry, Prose & Survival

Woman brought us to the Earth, but man will take us out; ruled by ego and insecurities,  he shoots before he shouts. The fourth world war will be fought with sticks and stones, like in the past: for the third will annihilate our home, with one single blast. If women ruled today,  we would still have our humanity, instead of this endless rage,  that is often coupled with unadulterated insanity.

She walks with her head held high, with the majesty of birds of prey.  With her hips swinging rhythmically, s he commands any room she enters,  turning heads for different reasons.  Her gait emulates American bald eagles, yet society solely see her as a peacock. A woman can only be pretty, they say her beauty is all that defines her.  These double standards are restrictive, and prevent girls from becoming hawks;  it forces them into a brand, then keeps them locked up in a box. Pigeonholed by the age of three, young women are being programmed to believe they can only be desired for their looks. They are discouraged from being bold, ridiculed for being brave  but males—they can be anything and are supported by their peers. For a female to be confident like a crow, or as self-important as a snowy owl is demeaning. She must possess the grace of a crane, or like a bird of paradise, she should be aesthetically appealing.   Some of her sisters ev...

Saartjie, Saartjie, Baartman, her name warrants repetition. She was a Nubian queen who was exploited without permission. They dubbed her the "Hottentot Venus," as though she were a freak, stripped her of her dignity, then marvelled at her physique. This African woman is the reason why black females are still fetishized. She had no say or control over the shape or size of her thighs. My spirit weeps for Saartjie, paraded throughout Europe, like some kind of clown, and whenever I think of injustice, her name is the first to come to mind.

The day she learned to talk, her mother cautioned her to listen. Moments after her first steps, mama showed her how to run. Preparing young Sylvie for the inevitable day,  when she caught the attention of a man who refused to go away. Sylvie knew all about the monsters under the bed, she was well-versed on the boogeyman, who filled her with dread. She could describe the Wolf-man, Dracula, and even Frankenstein, but her mother warned her the wickedest creature of all was mankind. She said, “This world was not built for us, we are merely trespassers here.” Determined to protect her daughter from the same predatory men she feared. Why do we teach young girls to keep themselves safe, without teaching little boys not to hurt or maim? We desire to build our daughters up to believe they can do anything, to raise them to be confident, and devoid of suffering.  But what good is it when society just shoots them down, laughing at them for thinking it were any diffe...