“The worst injury is feeling you don’t belong so much
to you —”
– Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
Lift trophy, receive:
kiss. Synonym for power
lorded over women’s bodies
for centuries. Read: Dobbs.
Read: unable to claim body
as our own. Also defined as
privilege haunting
a world meant to serve
the bones it breaks. See
also: force. See: coerce.
See: pressure until cracks
break through walls we have
forged to protect a living heart.
About the Poem
Despite numerous calls for his resignation from soccer clubs and politicians within his own country — not to mention the countless supporters of Jenni Hermoso across the globe — Luis Rubiales, president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, refuses to accept consequences for the kiss he forced upon the star Spanish player’s lips when congratulating her on the Spanish team’s World Cup win. It begs the question: when will men ever rid themselves of the entitlement they feel to a woman’s body?
About the Author
Amanda Karch writes poetry ranging from love to feminism, hoping to inspire and empower. She is the author of Her Favorite Color Was Sunshine Yellow (2020). Her work has also been published by Paddler Press, Topical Poetry, Querencia Press, Pile Press, and Moonstone Press, amongst others. She volunteers with nonprofits dedicated to lifting up the stories and voices of girls and women worldwide. You can find her on social media @akkwriting.