Duality.

The uneven balance of the condition of half the population.

Pounding, pounding fists.
Rope scraping on wrists.
Toes curl and back arches.
With each crack of the whip.
The skin creaks like a crypt.
Blood ooze while tears refuse,
To pour over as he is forced to bend over.
Body quakes and he is touched by a snake.

SNAP

There goes his sanity as he’s pushed against the vanity.
His fight for his humanity is futile.
As this man shows him what’s brutal.
When all is said and done they laugh.
Because judging by the graph,
Men can’t be a casualty.
Though in reality there are so many fatalities.
Secrets hidden like it’s forbidden.
Unheard cries as they’re scared to be labeled.
Unheard cries as they remain their captives prize.
Silent prayers as they start to unravel.
As they travel under the gravel.
The promise of life gone as they rest unsettled in their graves.
For their screams can be heard in the wind.
As their justice hangs just outside of societies bubble.

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i see the allegory in this....the way the slaves were treated compared to the lower class these days and how they are told to bend over by the rich....and whipped into poverty.
Not really living what they could call any more than just an existence of sorts.
powerful poem...
j.

[Nefertiti Virtudes Ahmes]

I love your interpretation J! Very creative conclusion!! Well rounded and open minded. Thank you for your kind words and review!

[adichie]

As they travel under the gravel

And a number of other captivating spoken-word rhymes unfold here. Hope you’re getting on stage with your verse, friend!!! This one is worth sharing on a live stage. 💜

S

[Thepensiveplayer]

I love how the imagery brings connection the struggles of men. Your poem certainly recalls my memories of the stories my grandfather's would speak of. Those sentiments still echo in my heart and mind to this day. You do an excellent job of reminding us of the darker truths of this corrupted reality. Well done.

[Nefertiti Virtudes Ahmes]

Thank you so much for your review and very kind words!!

It’s interesting hearing stories of someone’s past. Even see it if you have the privilege to watch how they grow from that.

But as I have said to another commentator:

The conditions of our choices are always profound. Either it be through our past or future. With this piece I wanted to highlight the trouble of men. Throughout history in every race or culture. There is always trouble. Especially in this piece. As the man not only endured thousands of years of abuse from his African roots to his now sexual abuse by another man. When I said judging by the graph I meant the statistics show that men get raped. However, if it’s acknowledged then a man stops feeling like a man. He’s emasculated and humiliated. If he were raped by a women then even more so. Could be called “gay” by the overly childish minds. Because it’s “gay” to refuse a women. Yet, a man can not hit her even in self defense. Who would believe him?

Even after thousands of years of fighting wars, dying in the holocaust, being beaten and enslaved and working in the fields. Man still can’t cry because only a woman can. It’s “weak” for a man to cry or have emotion. So much goes into this. Personally, I love every interpretation on this piece.

[AYVID N]

Reading your words, set me thinking how wicked man can be to man. In your words, I hear the silent screams of millions who went to their deaths in hopeless captivity. A powerful write indeed.

[Nefertiti Virtudes Ahmes]

Thank you so much for the review!

I am very pleased with your insight. The duality of life or women/men..the human condition, all of it a never ending cycle.

[Chris]

Thinking on this one... and I DO agree with Jacob's take as well - BUT there is more to it, much more. Perceptions are used to define a people - both fair and unfairly. Afterwards the fingers always wag AND point, subjectively and aggressively toward foregone conclusions. Societal epithets abound and historical inferences are always "uncovered" to support the choices humanity makes. Darwin comes to mind - but as a highly accepted psychologist pointing toward his own selectively perceived lackings to give proof to his assertions.

This world as we know it was (and in many cases still is) ruled by (at their time - self defined) Royals, and if you weren't one you were owned, ruled, and/or only "permitted" to exist by THEIR permissions. And never EVER forget how few paychecks even we as Americans remain "above" the conditions that founded our present complacency.

[Nefertiti Virtudes Ahmes]

First I wanted to say thank you for your review and insight!

You’re correct in your interpretation! There conditions of our choices are always profound. Either it be through our past or future. With this piece I wanted to highlight the trouble of men. Throughout history in every race or culture. There is always trouble. Especially in this price. As the man not only endured thousands of years of abuse from his African roots to his now sexual abuse by another man. When I said judging by the graph I meant the statistics show that men get raped. However, if it’s acknowledged then a man stops feeling like a man. He’s emasculated and humiliated. If he were raped by a women then even more so. Could be called “gay” by the overly childish minds. Because it’s “gay” to refuse a women. Yet, a man can not hit her even in self defense. Who would believe him?

Even after thousands of years of fighting wars, dying in the holocaust, being beaten and enslaved and working in the fields. Man still can’t cry because only a woman can. It’s “weak” for a man to cry or have emotion. So much goes into this. I love how you picked up on that.

[JR]

This is an interesting take, secrets tend to stay hidden or taken to the grave when there's abuse like this. I really enjoyed the imagery, very fresh. "The skin creaks like a crypt," damn that's tight, giving foreshadow to the later part of the poem. There's some serious tension built with the line "Because judging by the graph, / Men can’t be a casualty." You're exposing the fallacy of that. I like how you vary your style and your perspective with your works.

[Nefertiti Virtudes Ahmes]

Correct and it’s very...poignant to see it throughout the present and humanities past. I am very pleased with your insight JR!! Thank you so much for your kind words!