Sometimes by Hania Anwar

Sometimes by Hania AnwarSometimesI wish I was born aManin true Plath-ian fashionto roam the desolate fieldsat Dusky Dawnwithout the gripping fearof being stripped bare andTornIf I were a Man I wonderwould I fight half as much with my mother?Would she chastise me for not wordlessly helping around the house were I a Son and not adaughter?Would my father have turned away the childish outstretched handthat reached towards his noisy busy factorywere I a Son and not adaughter?If I were a Manwould I have worried about unborn childrenpart of un-lived futures and the thousand ways I would Fail them?The only reason Rhett could say he didn’t “Give a damn”was because he was a ManI was born with all the Damns in the world crammed into meUntil I began to ChokeMore from Hania Anwar ↓@wanderings.in.words on Instagram@BeeInMyBonnet on SubstackMentioned in this episode:Write After with One Poem OnlyWrite After is a way to encourage poets to listen and write, and use National Poetry Month to highlight how listening to poetry makes us better poets. I know I write the best when I’m surrounded by beautiful poetry–it’s part of the reason I created this podcast, and I want to encourage others to share this practice. If you want to join: Listen to a poem from the month of April on One Poem Only, then write your own in response. I will pick one for each day to read in June for a special series: One Poem After 🍎🍏 Submissions close May 15.Write After Submissions Form