"Are you a feminist?"

[Inspiration_]

The other woman is the spirit hell-bent on freedom, but enticed by ideology
The other woman lights fires with the sway of her hips, the snap of her fingers, the blink of her eyes
The other woman resonates of coolness and composition- she wants to be loved, but does not want to love back
The other woman is both a martyr and a fickle gypsy that roams the gray, convoluted ravines of the masculine mind
The other woman is the pia mater, as tender and fragile as chiffon
The other woman is the dura mater, strong and durable against the obscenities and stigmas of the man
The other woman is a pioneer
The other woman is a fool
The other woman is a prisoner in a rose-glass cage
The other woman is scratches on the back, the lingering fragrance on the embroidered duvet, the empty wine glass streaked with insidious, latent prints of the fingers
The other woman is nothing but an ideal of the mind
The other woman is nothing but a hollowed out carcass
The other woman is the epitome of doom for monogamy
The other woman is the outlet that saves our ideal of monogamy
The other woman is a pagan, heathen being
The other woman is a holy relic, something to be worshipped but never touched
The other woman is a parasite of the man, a venom that seeps into the pores, constricts the man’s logic, and flows back out through the eyes
The other woman is the catalyst of man’s blindness
The other woman is nothing more than the bane of the chaste wife
The other woman is the divulger of man’s inherent vice

[Dew]

First off...I really, really liked this...the way your estimation keeps revolving and reciting what is real or perception and what is good or bad and who's stance that it. that's what this did in my mind...it moved around and stayed elusive so there was no conclusion at the end but that "there are women" and I cannot understand them.

Second off, yes. I am a feminist...I am also a masculinist. I will not go out of my way (beyond what I would do for ANY person...man or woman...like holding a door) to help a woman nor do I think women need special protection (beyond the basic security that every man or woman deserves). If people don't like my complete lack of gender-biased chivalry, well tough! They ain't married to me and don't have to deal with it lol.

Dew

[candlewitch]

hello,

I'm a woman, and I don't understand them...sometimes their behavior makes me cringe! in childhood, I leaned towards my fathers attitudes and philosophies...maybe that explains it! I really loved this write!

always, Cat

[dwells]

Hi Inspi - Penned with a knowing hand and such is our biology constrained by our society, but just barely...
I need to find a good hand cream for the callouses on my knuckles now - dang these long arms.
Not sure the title is accurate in the feminist view of things (all's fair in love and war" maybe?) - cheers! - Dan

[scribble]

The title almost put me off of reading this one, but I am glad I did. I see these all as the same woman, it speaks to me as someone who struggles between what I want (at times to be better, other times to be worse) and who I should be.

I especially liked the "insidious" streaks on the wine glass. I love how details like that can prove and validate existence but at the same time invade others' space.

Oh, and I'd love to "light fires" with my hips. Just awesome.

[mckaizer222]

Some of the lines in this poem are brilliant... I can't figure out if this other woman is representative of a certain side of the argument... I've always considered myself a humanitarian... I am absolutely repulsed by 3rd wave feminism... It's insane, and there's nothing empowering about it... I get tired of people that say all of this ridiculous controversial stuff... fail to acknowledge people who are critical of them... and then play professional victim.... and parts of this piece I can relate with that... Then there are parts that I can't... like there aren't any perfect contradictions... and I honestly think that how you interpret this poem will depend a lot on your age... Either way this was written well, and like I said before some of these lines are 100% brilliant.

Thanks for the read,
~Mike

[Legally Sane]

This really was a great write. A lpt of this hit me hard like the line T"he other woman wants to be loved but doesn't want to love back " and "is a catalyst to his blindess". There is a lot of wisdom in this write, and I really enjoyed reading it.

I am not a femenist. I'm not too familiar with the femenest beliefs, I've only seen the atrocious behavior of some people who claim to be femenists (which of course doesn't reflect all femenists.) I just try to treat everyone with respect.

[opsacarlson]

such a great piece that expounds upon itself with each line. It was rich in its design, and rich in it's meaning as well. Thank you.

[Inconclusive]

A great poem. I found it interesting to try interpret whom each line was referring to. Feminism, unfortunately, seems to be more associated with misandry now than its original purpose.

[inflames]

I really identify with that third line. Congrats on your spotlight!