Poetry Competition 2024 Overall Winner The Illusion of Equality

by Bonnie McHard

On Women’s Day, a boy began to speak,
His voice was loud, dismissing all the cause.
“Why do we need a day for women’s week?”
He questioned, blind to all the world’s great flaws.

She walks a path where men have carved their mark,
Each step she takes, she’s forced to bend and bow.
They tell her that the world’s no longer dark -
Yet shadows of their power linger now.

She’s 47 percent more prone to die
In crashes, strapped in seat belts not her size.
The test dummies are men - no wonder why
Her blood is spilled while they ignore her cries.

In every square, more Johns than women stand,
As walk we through Gibraltar’s stony maze.
Where are the women? Few and far they span -
A history crafted in a man’s gaze.

She’s told to use the tools, yet none will fit.
The hammers, drills - they’re built for hands like his.
Her armours weak, her boots too wide to sit
On her feet that tread a world that’s never hers.

Her drugs? They’re tested on the male design.
Her phone? Too large to hold, slips from her hand.
And every safety measure? Misaligned,
Built for his form, while she’s left barely scanned.

Yet still, he asks, “What day is just for me?”
As if the world he stands on isn’t his.
For every day, she fights invisibly,
While he demands a crown for simply this.

The boy’s request rings hollow in the air,
Unseeing all the cracks she fights to fill.
For men have days- each moment everywhere-
While she still climbs the endless, stubborn hill.

Judge’s Comments: Overall winner- The Illusion of Equality
An insightful and mature treatment of a difficult topic. At a time where opinions are easily polarised and arguments can be weaponised, it is refreshing to hear from the perspective of a teenage voice. The judges felt that this was a brave poem and we hope that more young voices can be heard exploring difficult topics in the coming years.