She screamed silently, yet again
At the sexist allusion to her brain
Spoken in a tone of condescension
Quite clear was the insinuation
Her competence was being questioned, without
Knowledge of the situation, no doubt
Because of her gender…
As if being a woman, petite, slender
Was enough for a man to discredit
Her qualifications, disregard her merit
As a physician in a field competitive
With instances like this daily she had to live
She could feel the rage building up each day
Knowing there was nothing that she could say
To improve, for herself, this situation
Any retort would be subject to misinterpretation
Being labeled difficult would just make matters worse
For her in the professional universe…
**
Like women around her, she had learnt to ignore
Being called “sweetie”, “honey”, “cutie” and more
Yet each time this happened there was a surge
Of rage within her- it would be on the verge
Of overt manifestation, until it was restrained
By years of conditioning, she had been trained
To disregard such words, totally inappropriate
To address a doctor, a colleague or a subordinate-
She had been referred to as such by everyone-
Patients, seniors, staff, mentors- ad nauseum
Each time, though, she resented how these words undermined
Her professional status- disrespected her capable mind.
**
Then there were those remarks, snarky and snide
When being a competent doctor and a “good” mother she tried
Enraged her, though once again she cried out
In private, further criticism she could do without..
**
Working in a misogynistic world, she seethes inside
Works even harder to prove herself, her anger she hides
Accomplished women everywhere face similar predicament
They scream quietly, rage is their driving sentiment..
