by Sol Rivera

Broken 

Bent
A bloodthirsty machine

Tired of anger

Staying in her mind

Sickness is what it is

Rotting, raveging

Rage

Rules her more than she rules her life

Queens have courts

Hers is no different

And, well

They do not like women

When she complains to her sire

About the madness within

He states a (not so) piece of wisdom

Don’t bleed

And so he’s gone the next day

A queen will either

Write her epitaph

In stone

Or blood

(I wonder what mine will be)

The message of this poem is to show how women are discriminated against in the workplace. A woman could be as high up on the corporate ladder as she wants, but in the end she will still be looked down on because of her gender. This goes for our nameless main character, who is a Queen in her own right, but whose opinion and feelings are discounted for. The excuse used “don’t bleed” is a reference to the modern way of “do you have your period?” as a way of invalidating valid feelings that women possess. The last stanza is her way of wondering if the court will let her run the country in peace, or will fight her for all she has, resulting in bloodshed. This alludes to the fact that women have to defend themselves constantly, even though they are doing the right thing, while most men do not. In conclusion, I used the metaphor of a Queen to represent women in business, who are trying their best, but still can’t succeed.