I felt you come into
the room with sharp eyes,
and subtle aggression,
and the energy was clear:
this is about anger and
pain of some sort, and
it is about an attack on
masculinity, for I am a
man you have not seen
but I must be like the rest,
for you said is words that
this is a world for men,
made by men, all men.

And my attempts to locate
something of you were fruitless,
as my questions about your life
were met with this pointy snarly
indignation, and you gave nothing
but peppery words and a studied
sort of uncomfortable defining look.

What has shaped your life thus so?
Where in lies your antipathy?
Was it me or something I represent?

These are questions of curiosity
by a stranger in this strange place
in which we met through mutual friends,
and this became distain at first sight,
as my charm was charmless on
this strident woman who I just met.

 

1/7/2024