Feminist Flash Fiction 2011 – Feminism isn’t just a movement

Feminist Flash Fiction 2011 - Feminism isn't just a movement

It’s time to grab a coffee or a china cup’s worth of fine tea, settle down in a horsehair-padded armchair and read the ten shortlisted entries for FEMINIST FLASH 2011. Feminist poetry and flash fiction at its finest.

FEMINISM ISN’T JUST A MOVEMENT

by M. Reimers

Feminism isn’t just a movement,
It’s a feeling too.

It’s the feeling I got in third grade,
When I realized there weren’t any girls in my history book.

It’s the feeling that the woman has when the ultrasound jelly rubs her skin,
When she already knows she wants the abortion.

It’s the feeling that the young girl in Afghanistan has,
When she wonders why her brothers don’t have to risk their lives to learn to read.

It’s the feeling the transwoman has,
When she has to determine if it’s safe to use a public bathroom.

It’s the feeling the sex-worker has,
When society doesn’t believe that she can be raped.

But that’s not the only feeling that feminism can be

It’s the feeling that Alice Paul had,
When she cast her first ballot.

It’s the feeling that Hillary Clinton had
When she won New Hampshire.

It’s the feeling the second wavers had,
When the ruling in Roe was announced.

It’s the feeling LGBT couples had,
When gay marriage was legalized in New York.

It’s the feeling that I have,
When I realize I have opportunities my grandmother couldn’t fathom.

Feminism isn’t just a movement,
It’s a feeling too.

First appeared here in I Am a Teenage Feminist.

feminist fiction competitionBUST magazine

With thanks to BUST magazine! xxx