“The Feminine Hush” – Jhonni Dixon ’23

“I wrote this poem because I noticed how my friends and I are not taken as seriously in co-ed environments, which is something I normally do not experience due to our all-girls school,” Jhonni said.  “To me, this poem represents the female experience.  Other people prefer for women to stay quiet and look pretty, not caring for our opinions and ideas that are as worthy as those of anyone else.  This poem is a way for me to use my voice.  Speaking out means not letting patriarchal ideals get into my head.”

“The Feminine Hush” 

Jhonni Dixon ’23 

They say to quiet down, 

Because silence is prettier 

Than a new slant. 

They claim that real beauty,

Is that of a glance,

The part of a hair, 

Or the weight of a body, 

But never 

That of the mind.

But a fire rests on our shoulders,

Our eunoia as its ignition. 

Our purpose cannot be put out,

Our existence not altered. 

The malice of their mind

Is the benevolence of our hearts. 

Featured Image by Avery Kim ’24