Nipples

Belayia

what’s the difference
between yours
and mine
why must mine
be censored
why can you
be topless
on sunny afternoons
without consequence
whereas i
cannot even
go braless
beneath a jumper
without being subject
to hungry eyes
what makes yours
so different to mine?
maybe it’s because
breasts
are sexualised
maybe it’s because
you can’t look
at breasts
without your hands twitching
or maybe it’s because
the rules
will never
be the same
for women
as they are
for men.

Belayia is a 22-year-old Cypriot woman, living in Birmingham (UK). “I’m a proud cat owner, Ravenclaw, make-up addict and bookworm, who, if it isn’t obvious, is very much single. Having only begun writing poetry last summer, this creative outlet is new to me. Through the encouragement of others, and the (hypothetical) balls I’ve recently discovered, it’s my goal this year to throw myself into my writing and put myself out there.”