The poem “Teenage Lesbian Couple Found in Texas Park with Gunshot Wounds to the Head” by Meg Day is an extremely powerful poem. The first thing that I noticed that helps make it so powerful is the repetition of “It’s always the girls” that starts off each stanza. As JGB always says, when you repeat something it makes the message that much more powerful.
Another thing that makes it so powerful is the message inside. This poem is about being a woman today.
“Training us like dogs to flinch every time you raise a hand.”
This line is talking about the deranged mentality of some men who think women should be obedient to them and to not stand our ground. Like dogs, we should do as our master says and accept our punishment when we don’t.
“But still pop up in pairs along Colonial Parkway & in Medford”
This line refers to the fear that is ingrained deep in our minds as females. The fear that we shouldn’t travel alone because anything could happen. Most women today feel unsafe if they go out by themselves whether it is to do something as simple as grocery shopping or as said in the quote hiking on a trail. We are taught as young girls that the world is full of dangers and predators, the majority of them being men. It’s interesting to compare this to how men are raised. They aren’t taught to be fearful and cautious, they are taught to live freely and do as they please. They aren’t taught the dangers of the world and because of this some of them grow up to be those dangers.
This poem brings to light the harsh reality of being a woman today and the fear that we live with on a daily basis. With all the stories of rapes, muggings, stabbings, and shootings, it’s no wonder we are so afraid. There is much to fear.