Wadia Samadi
These streets are mine as much as they are yours;
Let me walk freely.
Don’t “compliment” my body.
Your whistles and comments are an insult my dignity.
I am pulled into an ocean of fear.
I do not consent. Why do I have to bear?
No matter what I wear, you stare.
Don’t take pride in your hard exterior;
I am in no way inferior.
You try to squeeze by me on a wide open street,
Only to brush up against my skin.
Freezing my heart and my soul from within.
If I speak, I am at fault.
But I have to holler back,
To stop others from joining you on this nasty track.
Step back. My body is not your possession.
Avert your gaze. Don’t follow. Don’t touch.
I am not asking for much.
Love this poem? Share it with your friends.
Read this piece in Persian here.