In this parallel universe

In this parallel dimension, at age 14, when my father tells me I am not good for anything because I can’t make a good cup of tea, I make cup after cup of steaming cha until it is to his liking, and pour it on his head while it’s piping hot

In this parallel dimension, whenever a man calls me “exotic,” his eyes are sprayed with garam masala without me even having to whip it out 

In this parallel dimension, when a 30-year-old man texts me “WYD” at 3 AM, his phone instantly explodes and sets ablaze, even if the phone is not a Galaxy Note 7 

In this parallel dimension, when the married man at my office holiday party puts his hand way lower on my waistline than he’s ever welcomed to, he becomes paralyzed from his waistline down to his genitals 

In this parallel dimension, all the men who pushed their boundaries with my consent are cuffed, tried and sentenced at once, and I just so happen to be the presiding judge

In this parallel dimension, when I say I am scared of men, that one man who interrupts and says “not all men” permanently loses his speech 

In this parallel dimension, I scream “I FUCKING HATE MEN” off the top of my lungs, and there is not one man who doesn’t applaud

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About Amantan Noor

Amatan Noor is a Bangladeshi Muslim slam poet and spoken word artist. She is a two-time semi-finalist of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam. She performs regularly at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe's Friday Night Poetry Slam hosted by Jive Poetic. Her work has been featured in No, Dear magazine and Brown Girl Magazine.