Feminism & asian poetry

Asian american feminism..

By chance i found theese two great asian american spokenword artistans..
See for your self..

Yellow rage
are Michelle and Catzie- a dynamic duo of Philly-based Asian American female spoken word poets. Through their voices, Catzie and Michelle hope to provide an awareness that is not often heard. Exploring topics from fetishes to cultural appropriation to ethnic pride, Yellow Rage challenges mainstream misconceptions of Asianness.

You need to hear the : listen asshole, or im a woman not a flava!


Giles Li
a talented guy writing about life, love and the conceptions of women...





woman
struggle is struggle and fear is just a means to a more definite end
a story with no moral
compass confused
confined to contorted configurations
consumed by comfort, or so it would seem
my mother singing through my memories and stand in my dreams
my lady love in life itself and seek the source as my queen
but what’s seen?
it’s said that behind every great man is a greater woman
but behind this mind this right now presence on stage
there’s two
the woman who gave me life
and the woman who gave life meaning

but is that a definition?
greater in shadows?
that’s the wrong pedestal
and decisions carry no weight
inflection is mistaken and misdirected
and sincerity is misshapen and disaffected
behind every great man’s a greater woman?
i refuse to accept that a great woman
should be defined in the confines
of her relationship with an opposite gender

this misplaces agenda
smacking of patriarchy
speaks to those who have learned to define female
as an extension
of a second syllable

in a minimal manner
the identity of femininity
has been emasculated
but the bottom line restated
a woman don’t need a man to tell her she’s worth something
a woman don’t need a man to define herself as opposite

now
maybelline may believe
and mtv may make it seem
that the whole world shatters if he don’t call you for a second date
that a woman is less a person than a collection of body parts
that if she chooses to do it, then it’s not exploitation

but shit
in a culture where “woman” simply denotes
the absence of manhood
we
must
remember
everything

remind yourself to treasure your reflection
every great woman is a great woman
and every great woman in my life

can stand alone

but i promise
i’ll be there
behind you

copyright Giles Li, 2002