No Longer Schamlippen
Today’s poem, inspired by an interview with Elizabeth Comen.
Warning, uses anatomic terms.
Pudenda (definition): External genitalia, especially female Pudendum/Pudenda (etymology): Thing(s) to be ashamed of (from Latin)
Pudenda reveals an agenda
Pudendum Femininum
The female shame part
Shame part
Part to be ashamed of
Woman, that which is unlike man
Atypical, other, inferior
Woman is man deformed
So said Aristotle, who postulated a world of opposites
Woman, curving, dark, secret, unstable, secret, dark,
Curved, leaky, unbounded
Man, straight, light, open, stable, self-contained, firmly bounded
Man the norm, woman only the appendage
From a rib formed, forbidden fruit eater
Temptress, seductress, bringer of evil
Non pudendum I declare
No longer schamlippen
I honor all that makes me she and
Glory in all my bits and parts
No longer afraid to say
Vagina
Labia
Mons
Pubis
Clitoris
No longer afraid to experience pleasure
Openly, joyfully, loudly
I am woman, watch me soar
2 thoughts on "No Longer Schamlippen"
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I really like this, and I’ve done a bit of research on the damage of patriarchy which the Greeks started. (In some cultures, Medusa was The Great Mother. When the Greeks conquered such a culture, they turned Medusa into the gorgon!)
I have a couple of suggestions, but of course take it with a grain of salt, feel free to ignore. What if you put this line “No longer afraid to experience pleasure” right before “No longer afraid to say?”
Then I think (purely my own silly opinion) the last two lines detract from this wonderful poem. You’ve already shown us this. You don’t need to tell us.
Just a couple of ideas. Feel free to ignore. <3
Love “Woman is man deformed/So said Aristotle, who postulated a world of opposites/Woman, curving, dark, secret, unstable, secret, dark…”