Literary Pixie Press

by Aqsa Khalid

I know of a safe space
Where only I perform
Where only I am the spectator 
Where only I have the power
To stare at myself…
Where I can let out
My tear drops and my frowning
My dance and my swaying
My drama and my resolutions  
But remember,
This secret about my toilet sanctuary 
Mustn’t go out
Because,
The cage outside this safe space
Suffocates me much more
The suppression outside these walls 
Stinks much more
Than the filth and the mess here 
And, I dread a day
When this too will be taken away from me…

This piece is from The Feminist Toilet #2. To return to the table of contents, click here.