A news story breaks that a man
signed his female co-worker’s name
for two weeks and received drastically
different responses on emails than he
usually does. Your boyfriend asks:
“Did you know about this?”
No, you live it. Every day. When
you created a logo for a client
and they congratulated Daniel
for sitting across the table
with his arms folded. Gave
Bryan a promotion for a campaign
you created and executed. Second
after minute after hour
being passed over. Having to check
your reflection in the women’s room
to ensure you’re not invisible. Crying
at least once in every coffee shop within
3 miles of your office. “Did you know about this?”
You’re so furious that you default
into autopilot they’ve forced.
A smoking volcano. You don’t respond.
You sit there as they wish
completely and utterly silent
wondering when you’ll erupt.
Julia Gari Weiss is the author of the poetry collection Being Human, published by Thought Catalog Books. She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and is the recipient of the Academy of American Poet’s John B. Santoianni Award for Excellence in Poetry. Julia has been published in The Huffington Post, Madcap, BuzzFeed, Thought Catalog, Old Red Kimono, The Deadly Writers Patrol, and 3Elements Review. She is proudly from Santa Monica, California, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
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