my father says women are emotional
because i cry when he yells
and he yells when i ask him to treat me
like he treats my brothers.

my father says women are emotional
when my mum refuses to speak
because she knows if she talks
he will scream and make threats.

my father says women are emotional
because i’m afraid to talk to my brother
because when i was thirteen and i asked him to stop yelling
he threw me up against a wall.

my father says women are emotional,
but i cannot talk to him or my brother
without bearing the brunt of their anger,
without watching all reason fail to explain the
                                     “i can’t help it”
           “if you didn’t want me to get angry you shouldn’t have said anything”
                                    “i don’t know how else to react”
                                    “this is your fault”

my father says women are emotional,
but when he meets my calm
with a torrent of rage,
i cannot say i believe him.