Don’t Call Me Miss by Protyus A. Gendher
Don’t Call Me “Miss”
Don’t call me “Miss;” That’s not my name
I deserve respect, and I’ve shown you the same
I do the job of perhaps two or three
So I feel I deserve a smidge of dignity
In the place I spend the bulk of my time
Where I shouldn’t need a place to hide
Don’t call me “Miss;” because all can hear
This degrading speech striking blows to our ears
To invoke a diminutive to replace my name
Dismisses my identity and gains
Contribution, worth, and personhood
My disposability now understood
Don’t call me “Miss;” because it’s not true
I’m not a woman regardless of your point of view
Forcing me to come out again and again
As agender in the company of comrades and friends
You’ll not have my conformity
No matter how little you try to make of me
Don’t call me “Miss;” it’s sexist and rude
And it reveals a bad attitude
About gender relations in the workplace
Rules about power and gender and space
And making sure “Women” know their place
And in 2018 it’s a disgrace
Ever wonder how the heck I got this way? Start Here
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