Rebellion | A Poem About the Wild Woman

WE WERE ALL EVE ONCE

Samantha Nagel

Empowered

You are not the first to hear it,

That voice in your head - insidious as a snake,

Willing Eve to taste the fruit

(even though we all know this is a story,

Taught to domesticate

Evil,

Bold,

Strong women)

You listen to it daily,

Inviting the voice to dinner with you,

Hearing it say

“You know they all hate you.”

You tuck it in to bed next to you,

Letting it whisper in your ear

“You know you aren’t good enough,”

Causing your dreams to turn to nightmares.

:::

Who taught you to listen to this voice?

Was it your mother, the one who commented

When you gained even a few pounds?

The one who forced you to dye your brown hair blonde, making you sit still in the bathroom,

The bleach stinging your scalp

Because you need to be beautiful in order to be loved?

Was it your first boyfriend, the one who insisted

You wear your eyeliner and mascara

Because he needed you to be beautiful in order to love you?

The one that said you didn’t need to have sex with him, but would

Ignore you,

Manipulate you,

Abuse you,

Until you eventually stripped off not just your clothes, but your identity too?

Was it your father, the one who counted

The red pimples on your face and suggested you try concealer?

The one who turned red and loud when you spoke your truth,

Because being loved means staying quiet?

:::

Sweetheart, this voice has been stuck to your ear for too long.

Let go of the fact that you cheated on the boy who raped you.

Let go of the fact that you said the wrong thing at that party once.

Embrace the women that Eve really was,

Curious,

Loud,

Independent,

Hungry.

It’s okay to be hungry for that apple, my darling.

You have been starving yourself for much too long.

Run! Run to the river, run to the trees, run all those blocks to your best friend’s house, or maybe just run and never come back!

Exorcise that voice and keep running,

Knowing that you will never hear it again