The driver’s gaze waits in anticipation for it. We look away. We speak for the one who has no voice.
The hula dancer bobbles on the dash of a four-wheel-drive Ford truck. The dancer’s arms stretch open above her head, seeming to lounge, but she is stiff, and if the wind could blow, we would all see what only her lei and thin grass skirt are barely concealing. The driver’s gaze waits in anticipation for it. We look away. We speak for the one who has no voice.
When he says:
It reminds me of Hawaii
and the great vacation I had.
We say:
Stop pretending you don’t know
who this souvenir is marketed towards.
Well, is it so wrong
for a man to appreciate
a beautiful looking woman?
She doesn’t ask to be
looked at
like that.
If she looks and feels sexy,
it is unfair if men
aren’t allowed to look.
Her self-esteem
is not at the hands
of a man’s approval.
Dancing is an art,
and maybe she likes to
wear whatever she wants.
Are we still talking
about the object mounted on the dashboard
or a woman?
Chelsea Adams is an Ohioan nomad, BFA graduate from Bowling Green State University’s creative writing program, and currently serves as a second year AmeriCorps member. She lives alone with her fish, Ubuntu, among many succulents. Chelsea is a passionate advocate for the queer community, feminism, and human rights.