You Go Girl ! Poem by Taslima Nasrin

They said—take it easy…
Said—calm down…
Said—stop talkin'…
Said—shut up….
They said—sit down….
Said—bow your head…
Said—keep on cryin', let the tears roll…

What should you do in response?

You should stand up now
Should stand right up
Hold your back straight
Hold your head high…
You should speak
Speak your mind
Speak it loudly
Scream!

You should scream so loud that they must run for cover.
They will say—'You are shameless!'
When you hear that, just laugh…

They will say— 'You have a loose character!'
When you hear that, just laugh louder…

They will say—'You are rotten!'
So just laugh, laugh even louder…

Hearing you laugh, they will shout,
'You are a whore!'

When they say that,
just put your hands on your hips,
stand firm and say,
'Yes, yes, I am a whore!'

They will be shocked.
They will stare in disbelief.
They will wait for you to say more, much more…

The men amongst them will turn red and sweat.
The women amongst them will dream to be a whore like you.