Woman Expose´'d

This poem was written in response to the Rattle® Poetry Ekphrastic Challenge for July 2022 and was ultimately not selected. You can find more information here.

https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/

The image that this poem was specifically written about can be found here. (Jaundré van Breda’s “Blueprint of a Dream”)

https://i0.wp.com/www.rattle.com/ekphrasis/EC22Jul.jpg?ssl=1

Woman Exposé’d

Skin splayed with surgical precision

Flesh flayed for all

The world to witness woman

Exposé’d

The patriarchy hypothesize, predicting her plights

Studying the secret searchings of her soul

The musings and meanings from her own mouth dismissed by men

Her own dreams, desires, deemed derelict, discredited

Because it does not comply with their cut-out

Figurine of fictitious form

She does not vindicate their veiled views of virtuous vulnerability

Her energy is easier for them to understand, for them to handle

If it is emaciated, eviscerated, and undeveloped, if it is held back

So her body’s breath is bared

Bruised blue and beaten bloody

To temper her totality to tepidness

Her feathers sheared, fastened down

As not to unfurl her wings and fly

So she stands silenced

As on a stage, see

Woman

Exposé’d

Submitted under MRB