Art by EuN ο Poetry by Linda M. Crate 
tell me why
why is it
that some men
seek to destroy
the power of
women?
do they fear our power
or do they think
that we can be tamed?
because neither are acceptable—
i am a woman,
and that seems to make some men
think they’re entitled to own me;
but should the tables be
flipped,
and i seek to own them;
they’d tell me that i were crazy—
why is it okay to oppress
women then?
are we not all equal in the eyes of
God?
wisdom was personified in the form
of a woman
in the bible
so don’t tell me i don’t have worth
or my power doesn’t matter
tell me why you seek to crush my dreams,
and make me crucify myself
for your own self worth;
tell me why it’s more demeaning to be a woman
than it is to be a man?
- linda m. crate
house of fallen angels
clumsily i tripped over my tongue,
but my intentions and love
were pure;
yet you turned my words as daggers against me,
and held them to my throat
no matter how much i wept and begged you not to—
i loved you,
and it seemed for that reason alone
you held me in disgust
distancing me from the warmth of your arms and the
love of your heart only giving me the most
bitter pomegranates of your lust;
then you questioned why i don’t trust anyone or anything—
because people like you, fallen angels, who claim
to be good people tell me they’ll never hurt me;
then they take the hand they’ve fed me with to shove the knife
as far into my heart they possibly can
without killing me—
you went all the way, though, shattered my pretty little red heart
in two so that i fell before you fractured and scarred;
then you picked apart my vulnerabilities
and rubbed my weakness for you in my face as if i should be
shamed of my greatest capacity: to love without condition or judgment—
i’ve risen from the ashes of chaos you left me in
burning away your winter because i refused to be your victim
or a martyr for the soul of a man housed by fallen angels.
- linda m. crate
nature of things
no one should have to kiss the feet of a
sychophant who believes himself
a king,
but i also know that if i told her your truth
she wouldn’t believe me;
a jaded queen
is hardly a reliable witness,
but she will see for herself what a liar you are;
and how you’ve never been a knight
unless you mean you’re devoid of the k, the moon,
and the stars;
in that case yes you are night
cold and empty—
no remorse for your self-indulgence, your deceit,
and your ever hungering lust never satiated;
want to run your fingers down the skin of the next best
thing
the every hungry wolf that one day meets his
demise at the hunter’s hands—
i’ve never felt right
killing any animal,
but i may make an exception for you since you broke
my wings and forgot i had claws;
there’s no place for monsters amongst us
all the bullies, all the idols must fall
before they carve out the hearts of those starved and devoid
of love and give them the wrong idea about the nature of
things.
- linda m. crate
i’ll make you a liar
full of fears,
but pressing on;
this is what
my life has been—
so you don’t have the right
to tell me that i’m lazy or that
i don’t try my hardest or i don’t
give a damn
when i am always the one that
cares too much,
and the one who has been told countless
times
she’s too sensitive;
i may not fit your mold but molds were made
to be broken—
i am nobody’s definition
simply me,
and i’m doing the best with what i have as i can
growing and building and rebuilding,
and your judgment isn’t appreciated nor needed nor right;
go ahead and think the worst of me
i’ll just make you a
liar.
- linda m. crate
https://www.
Linda M. Crate is a Pennsylvanian native born in Pittsburgh yet raised in the rural town of Conneautville. Her poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. Recently her two chapbooks A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press – June 2013) and Less Than A Man (The Camel Saloon – January 2014) were published. Her fantasy novel Blood & Magic was published in March 2015. The second novel of this series Dragons & Magic was published in October 2015. The third of this series Centaurs & Magic is slated for a November release. Her third poetry collection If Tomorrow Never Comes(Scars Publications – August 2016) was recently published. Her poetry collection Sing Your Own Song is forthcoming through Barometric Pressures Series.
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