Poetry

The Veil

 

Much is said about the dangers
Of the Middle Eastern veil
(Their only real concern is
It makes facial recognition fail)

But the hypocrites will stutter
If you bother to inquire
How it is that Western culture
Has two pieces of attire
That are absolutely mandated -
Simply MUST be worn
(Especially if one hopes to rise
Above one’s station born)
And these uniform accessories
Whose donning is so vital
Have been countless times employed
In behaviour homicidal

How many gladly girth their necks
Without hesitation
Such garish invitation
To their own strangulation

And how many more have fallen
‘Neath a brandished stylish heel
On a shoe that fits the hand
As if it were designed to wield
And whose penetrative powers
Are in autopsies revealed

The reason that these
Murderous accoutrements
Aren’t banned
(And why they’ll find a way
A face beneath a veil is scanned)
Is they are each a symbol
In a unique permutation
Of the same history-spanning
Planet-girdling implication

Yes, there’s a common source
To what this garb infers:

The veil is about ownership,
Her body is not hers.
The heel is there to hobble
So the female cannot flee
And the up thrust buttocks signal
Her availability.
The tie is a reminder
Of when men were bound and sold,
A symbol their life’s forfeit
If they don’t do what they’re told.

Fashion may seem cyclical
It comes and goes in waves
But symbols that endure
Remind us all that we are slaves.

 

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