in the dark the men may hear
our voices resound
but listen close only the female
voice unfastens us
some women blind the men
and hide in towers to forget
we cropped away Rapunzel’s braids
so they couldn’t trace the fistfuls back
we hooked lost locks onto the sill
to leave their perfect woman
in the window
I buzzed my hair to blind them
but the men still look me in the eye
and in the end they always claim
I’ll cry and finally bring them clarity
that I’ll let my hair grow long
so they may climb up me again