A man wanders through the sea of yellow
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
The setting sun casts a soft golden glow
Over the delicate dandelions and scattered bees.
A man stomps through the sea of yellow,
And blows roughly against his flower.
Nature's fairy-godmother goes with the flow,
And obeys his silent orders.
A man stomps through the sea of yellow,
And the dandelions bow to him in reverence.
For his command is theirs to obey,
Even if their pain is the consequence.
A man stomps through the sea of yellow,
And the dandelions shudder in fear.
They wanted to abandon their servitude,
But how could they- when they held the man so dear?
A man stomps through the sea of yellow,
And the dandelions recoil at his touch.
Their cries for help fall on deaf ears,
For their agony did not concern him much.
A man stomps through the sea of yellow,
And the dandelions hang their heads in defeat.
They allow themselves to be blown away,
And violently hurled across the street.
A man wanders through a sea of brown,
Lamenting the lack of yellow.
He stares blankly at the withered petals on the ground,
And then at his bloodied hands- because the reason for their fate, only he would know.
Why had he tormented the dandelions so?
Would they not have helped him the same- treated with kind words and a gentle kiss?
Alas- he would never know
Until he watched a kinder man tiptoe across another sea of yellow.
A/N: This entire poem is an extended metaphor comparing women with dandelions. Just as people pluck dandelions and blow away their petals to have their wishes granted, men use violence against women because they believe it's the best way to make them do their bidding. Women are expected to endure it because eternal servitude is their “duty” towards their husbands, and some women choose to endure it out of love for them. Even if they voice out their pain in an attempt to reduce it, the man will never understand it until the woman finally breaks, and can no longer endure her suffering. The only way men can change is by watching other men who are kinder to their wives, because men do not listen to women- but they might listen to other men.
A/N: The title is a wordplay on “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. I think about one particular quote from that book very often- “We accept the love we think we deserve.” This was said about Charlie’s sister when she continued to date a boy despite him hitting her. I think it’s important to make women aware that no matter what, they do not deserve violence. We need to teach more women to hold men accountable for their actions, even if it ruins their lives- because abuse of any form is a crime, and women are not responsible for the crimes that men choose to commit.
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