#freeverse #poetry
LAUGHTER AND VIOLENCE
They say men fear laughter—
the sharpness of a woman’s wit,
a truth too harsh to swallow.
The lash of a woman's tongue
can cut them to the quick.
But we—
we fear the blade behind the smile,
the shadow in the stairwell,
the bullet in the gun, trigger pulled,
the violence in the home,
where we should be safe.
In the halls of power,
the patriarchy wears a crown of
corruption, its throne built from centuries of the suffering and subjugation of working class women.
Powerful men sit in rows,
passing laws like shackles,
naming our bodies
but never our pain.
Men of all colours and creeds
strut and posture in a bid to
keep us women in line, but
we gather in circles. We weave
our words and sing our songs.
We carry our ancestors' pain.
Girls learn early—
how to be nice like sugar and spice,
how to hide their bodies,
how to walk with keys between fingers
like talismans against the night.
We are told to be careful,
to be quiet, to be good then
they mock us for daring to
speak out against their tyranny.
We are the hands that rock
the cradles, we are the life-givers!
And still, we must carry the torch—
with ink and fire,
with stories carved into our bodies
with laughter that cuts deeper
than any blade they wield.
We women are not afraid to speak.
We are afraid of what happens when we do...
©🦊VixenOfVerse, 2025
*Based on Margaret Atwood's quote, "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them."
VIXEN of VERSE 
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