Saying ‘No’: A Slam Poem

“No”- 2 letters, 1 syllable, a complete answer needless of an explanation.
It’s a full statement, despite the resentment.
It’s a sentiment you must confess, even if it causes a mess.
It’s an emotion we are told to suppress,
A thought from which we should digress.
Because we are taught to say “yes”,
Yes, I will do it,
Yes, you can,
Yes, I don’t mind,
Yet sometimes people have not any clue when they cross the line.
Saying yes, agreeing to every command,
Have we forgotten that we’re not here to fulfil society’s endless demands?
Race, religion, and nationality
Age, ability, and sexuality
There is no one size fits all strategy,
Language, mannerisms, accents, style
Why do we make women go the extra mile?
Why are women associated with tranquillity?
These limitations are no less than a tragedy,
We should not have to empower a woman’s speaking ability,
Because expression and speech are everyone’s rights.
Apparently, it’s ‘do as we say’ and not ‘as we do’,
And, it seems as though we don’t bother to take this route.
Most of us are forced to keep silent.
Unable to feel, unable to speak
Because we’ve been taught what to think
Beaten down by the rod of self-righteousness
Never ceasing, always suppressing.
So let me tell you when you ignore consent,
For your own content,
Disregarding the lament,
Only to torment, you are a fool.
Breaking the rules to make yourself look smart and cruel,
“I go to a good school and have a big pool” doesn’t mean that you need to be the fuel to the duel between being amused and being right.
You’ll win no jewel in this fight,
So can we please make sincerity the new cool?
Let’s understand that when someone says “no”, we step back.
When someone says “no”, we stop.
When someone says “no”, they will not follow it up with an IB 10 marker explanation to “justify” their damn answer.
And when someone says “no”, we hear it as they mean to say it,
Don’t think that every time someone says “no”,
It’s while twisting their hair in their hands,
With a tan from the sun and the sand,
And with a playful girl laugh that no one can stand.
Because let me tell you, “I thought they didn’t mean it” is an incompetent excuse,
The power you hold you must misuse,
But the truth is that not everyone you meet is trying to get wooed.
We can feel it,
But can we truly ever express it?
Hearts are failing, resolve is crumbling,
So let’s understand that “no” is a whole word,
Stop making it sound so absurd,
Every single human has the right to be heard.
Ask yourself, being quiet, how long does it last?
It’s a disease that’s catching up fast.
It won’t be long before everybody gets it,
But as long as I live to fight for my voice,
And fight for my respect towards yours,
Perhaps we can delay the inevitable a little while longer?

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