BODY POSITIVITY
Everybody’s beautiful
Sang Ray Stevens’
Back in my childhood days
And society today
Is attempting to echo
His positive uplifting message
-for women
And girls
Morbidly obese?
Chunky?
Tubby?
Pleasantly plump?
All gorgeous
All oozing feminine allure
Which any discerning male
Should see and appreciate
Oversized models grace
The covers of magazines
Pouting and posing
Proudly revelling in their rolls
Of excess femininity
And daring men
To say or do anything
Other than confess
Their attraction
And praise the exquisite
Perfection of their chubby charms
We are yet to see
Pot bellied
Fat arsed males
Adorn any magazines
And we certainly demand nothing
Of the women confronted
With such unsightly men
Other than to turn in disgust
And express their disdain
For the ugly, fat creeps
Who clearly take no pride
In their health or appearance
Boys understand very early
That should they present
A less than ideal physique
To the world
They will be rightly dismissed
Derided and denigrated
Girls bathe in an ocean
Of admiration and adulation
Whatever their form
And this explains
The plethora of pudgy
Females wandering our streets
And shopping malls
In clothing which
Deliberately displays their
Portly pudginess
Roly poly rotundity
With brash, impudent insolence
And nary a shred of shame
Or self-awareness
Every female is beautiful, Ray
BOBBY’S TESTICLES
Bobby Hill has testicular cancer
Bobby plays in the AFL
Hawk Peter Crimmins died
From the same cancer
Carlton skipper
Sam Docherty battled
This insidious disease
And returned to emotional
Triumphal scenes
Ben Cunnington is still fighting
And may never play again
And I wondered when
The AFLW ladies
Were planning their testicular cancer
Awareness round
And fundraising campaign
For this ubiquitous man killer
For are they not
The natural nurturers
The compassionate caring
Tender-hearted, empathetic
Generous gender?
Confusion and contradiction reign
For men relentlessly raise
Multiple millions in cold cash
For female specific cancers
Devote days to this cause
At the expense of their own
Health needs
Males happily wear pink
And dig deep for
their sickly sisters
at football and cricket matches
yet still
our society views
masculinity as toxic
teaches our boys and girls
about the oppressive nature
of men and boys
tells the ignorant and gullible
of male self interest
and dominance
their unjust subjugation
of the sweeter sex
and the obstacles they hurl
in their way
Yet reality lays the myths bare
For any who have eyes to see
And ears to hear
Sadly
There are too few willing
To look or listen
THE KMART CONUNDRUM
The students at Toorak Girls College
Are taught all about
Their oppression
By their committed competent
Compassionate teachers
They learn all about
The perils and pitfalls
They will encounter
Due to their genitalia
Financial inequity
Gender pay gaps
Dependence and insecurity
Glass ceilings
And boys’ clubs
But how do these
Precious pearls of percipience
Maintain their hold
When the pupils pay
A visit to their local mall
Or shopping centre?
For what confronts
Their poisoned polluted brains?
Oceans of clothing, footwear
Make up, décor
All carefully prepared and presented
For their purchasing pleasure
By retailers who have but one ambition
To make a profit
Kmart stores rebuke
The feminist lies
Without a word spoken
Or argument raised
Who is their targeted demographic?
Whose eye and money
Is being tantalized and titillated?
Walk about the enormous store
And ponder the preponderance of products
Designed and displayed for women
Why?
Why would any retailer
Be s insane
As to woo a woman
Or girl?
For are they not
Financially impoverished?
Dollar deficient?
Dismally destitute?
Deliberately disadvantaged?
Do retailers wish to fail?
Do they not understand
That their marketed merchandise
Will simply sit unwanted?
Unused?
Do the girls have enough intelligence
And integrity
To push aside the deliberate disinformation
Force fed as their daily diet
And view it for the house of cards
It is?
Perhaps not
As they walk by
An endless array of shopfronts
Desperately desiring female attention
Does the penny drop?
Sadly, I think not
Independent thought
Seeing reality as opposed
To ideology
Is a lost art
So, they sit and have their nails painted
Toes pedicured
Faces washed and creams applied
Handbags slung
Bags stuffed with unneeded clothing
Another pair of superfluous shoes
And a “girl power” Tshirt
And converse over coffee and cake
Their oppression and struggles
Foremost in their confused
Ignorant minds
I hope, somewhat forlornly
Those responsible
For the creation of these generations
Of pampered, coddled and cosseted
Females
Will be called upon
To face the music
Pay the piper
Account for their sins
Before facing a just retribution
For their deliberate deception
And degenerate bigotry
MY MONEY MY CHOICE
A comedian nailed it
So succinctly
He silenced
The cackling, screeching females
With his coldy, clinical logic
Lured them into his trap
Like the deadliest trapdoor spider
Such that they never saw
The poisonous pincers
Preparing to snap
And crush the life from
their hapless, hollow argument
so devastatingly
they had to join in the uncertain laughter
of the now educated audience
My body my choice
They chant
And he says,
“Sure! I am with you girls!
Men have no right
To tell you what to do
With the baby you carry!”
Hear them scream
Their righteous approval?
And he stands silent
Letting them enjoy
Their pyrrhic victory
And then sets their humiliation
In motion
But
If we are going to accept
That men have no say
Over what a woman does
With her body
Then we must surely agree
That a woman or government
Should have no say
As to what a man should do
With his money!
Deeper masculine voices
Now cheer
Why can’t I have a paper abortion?
Why don’t I have the right
To say I want nothing to do with
The baby you carry
You want it?
You raise it and you pay for it!
More cheers
And embarrassed chuckles
From those who have been
Exposed as frauds and hypocrites
By a black comedian
With a microphone
ONLY WOMEN
Only women can have a preference
Yet another societal law
Perhaps unwritten
But indelibly imprinted
In our minds and hearts
And clearly understood
In the dating game
Women can boldly
State their preferences
Describe without apology
The type of man
Who makes their heart flutter
And their juices flow
He has to be tall
Must have a nice head of hair
Can’t be too hairy (said with a shudder)
Must be in good shape
Have a well-paying job
No fatties allowed
No nerds or baldies
No short males need apply
All this and more
Can be stated
Without apology
Or the slightest sense
Of shame at this
Shallow judgement
Yet men are vilified
The very moment
They attempt to classify
The type of woman
Who stirs their loins
Fat phobic
Body shamer
Shallow chauvinist
Arrogant superficial player
Toxic
No magazine promotes
Short, bald, obese males
On their front cover
But obese women
Adorn billboards
And hairy armpits
And furry legs
Are thrust provocatively under
Our judgemental noses
Daring us to make
One negative comment
Or even display a momentary look of distaste
So they can explode in rage
And call out our disgusting sexism
And oppressive expectations
Which make slaves of all women
A fat gut exposed to
A gaggle of girls
Would draw forth
Gasps of revulsion
And demands for the bare flesh
To be covered
Before they vomit
Or accuse the slob
Of a sex crime
This is the simple truth
And it is indisputably
The way of the world
And still our whining witches
The frazzled females
Who obsess over body image
And self esteem
Would not consider
The brutal dismissal
Of fat ugly men
From their presence
To be anything other than
Appropriate and acceptable
Sensible and seemly
Justified
For in their eyes
Men are less than human
For no other world view
Could explain such
Callous, cruel and contradictory behaviour
HER BREASTS ADORNED
They were ubiquitous
Strode proudly
About the massive amphitheatre
No skulking in shadows
Or hang dog humility
Side by side they stood
With the men in khaki
We stood as one
In silent recognition
Of the courage and sacrifice
Of our brave soldiers
The bugle calls us to attention
Let us contemplate
The deeds of
Our dauntless
Selfless
Men and women
And I shudder inwardly
As I try to comprehend
What goes on in
The minds of the females
Wearing the uniform we honour
Tens of thousands of men
And boys
Have died fighting for this country
I love
Or been horrifically maimed
In mind and body
But men and women
Are acknowledged
Appreciated
Lionized
Applauded
Given equal standing
My God-females in uniform
Standing centre stage
As the last post
Echoes around the vast stadium
And I feel the fraudulence
They should be experiencing
The complete unworthiness
Of their situation
This day was never created
To honour tent assembly
Food distribution
Medical treatment
Of the impoverished or war torn
Populations
Long after the fighting is done
It was for those who walked
Unflinchingly
Into a hailstorm of shrapnel
And shells and felt the warm wet blood
Of their mates showering their own skin
It was for those
Who stood or sat
Upon the decaying flesh
Of their friends and foes
In deep dark trenches
Or saw their own feet rot
And smelt the putrid stench
Of their decomposed extremities
It was for those who returned home
A gibbering shell of what they once were
But…….there they are
Lipstick and eye rouge applied
A crucial preparation
For those who know
The camera lens
Will close in on their stoic
Pancaked faces
No bayonet thrusts
Or grenades were hurled
By the petite hands
Of the females
In uniform
Breasts adorned
With multi coloured badges
And medals
For what, is never specified
Or articulated
Luxuriating in this special day
Created to honour
Our fallen
Our maimed
Our men
Shame on you
Shame on all who
Play this sick transparent game
WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR WOMEN?
Every election which comes around
Be it state or federal
We hear this question
And the truly shocking aspect
Of this tradition
Is that it is not considered
To be truly shocking
Heads nod
And politicians’ furrow
Their brows
And employ their well- practised look
Of deep concern
And adamant agreement
With the great importance
Of this question
In a world where half the population
Is never mentioned
Or the cause of a raised eyebrow
Let alone a furrowed one
We must ponder seriously
The health of a society
Which sees no wrong
In this endless obsession
With the well being
Of one half of the electorate
Those who are ignored
Those who are never mentioned
In heated cabinet discussions
Or planning for speeches and debates
Except when a villain is required
A group which can be vilified, demonized
And mocked without fear of consequences
is the perfect target
For they will never raise their voices in protest
Silent, disposable and too proud
Or ashamed
To speak out
And ask for a crumb
From the government their sweat
And taxes keep afloat
Fuck all of the bastards
The bigots and haters
Who have ignored
Kicked
Shat on
Demeaned
Demonized
Dehumanized
Devalued
Disdained
And deserted
Our men and boys
