by Peggy Lee Kennedy

Don't get me wrong, honey 
I like lasagna And I am a mean cook, too. 
But why is it my job and Why can't you see Me? 
I am a feminist, a woman. 
Do you know what it even means? 
You know about social justice and 
You believe in racial equality 
(Oh I saw your Malcolm X there) 
But what about gender? 
Too hard for you to understand? 
Why can't you see Me? 
I am not a tootsie or a bootie call. 
I am Courageous, 
A woman standing for something, 
A woman alone and aging. 
Do you know how hard it is to be Me? 
The pressure to conform and to 
Try to be something I will never ever Be. 
And what do you stand for anyway, Man? 
Is it peace, love, God, freedom, or just for you - what? 
Fine, maybe I will compromise a little. 
Gender equality has different definitions, you know. 
And you are Sweet. 
Oh yah. 
Except where are my lines drawn and How are my feminist layers stacked? 
What do I believe and when do I believe it? 
Do I really need to cook lasagna for you? 
And then - what? 
You said, "Men are dominant " Am I passive, subordinate, or second-class? 
Oh My God Will I be plucking my eyebrows next? 
The layers of the bondage of my sex 
Are so complicated, 
so accepted so social, 
so cultural so religious, 
so full of judgment 
so hurtful to Me and 
There are So many levels of possible compromise. 
What are the layers of My feminist lasagna? 
Well, if I were not boycotting 
Nestle I'd say 
You should go buy 
You some Stouffers, Man 
And I will be here 
Checking the paper for coupons.

Peggy Lee Kennedy is a Women's Studies Graduate.