Reviews from

Condemn Us Not

When rituals hurt......a free verse

69 total reviews 
Comment from Willowsong
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Such a horrible atrocity to inflict on another being. I feel the same way about male circumcision too. No one should be forced to endure such pain, especially upon entering the world. It should be a choice that one voluntarily undergoes for their own personal gain. Thank you for writing such a poignant and powerful piece about the mutilation of the natural human body. It's a topic rarely spoken about but needs our utmost attention today.

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks Willowsong for reading and for resonating with the message of the poem. God bless.
reply by Willowsong on 18-May-2014
    You're most welcome and peace be with you always :-)
Comment from Dawn Munro
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This is such a shocking practice, and your poem expresses it so well! There is still so much abuse of women globally, and poetry like yours sheds light on an issue that belongs in the dark ages (and then should not have happened either)!

Wonderful work!

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks for considering this a wonderful work, thanks too for the five stars, I am honored.
Comment from joeakeefe
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Time and time again in a variety of cultures, we still see practiced the emotional and physical abuse of women. It manifests itself in such practices as you address in this piece We see it in the US with the various state legislatures passing a variety of laws and regulations to thwart women's right to control her own body.
A student of world history can cite examples across both cultures and the ages of the major role that organized religion has played in the denigration of women Such is the nature of all major religions to "control" particularly women.

Thank you for the courage you display in witting this piece.
joeakeefe

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks a lot for resonating with the message of the poem and for feeling strongly for women's rights. God bless.
Comment from donette1914
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this is so shocking and so sad where a girl's clitoris is castrated, a ritual you can't reject in remote areas in Ethiopia very well written outstanding

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks donette for considering this a very well written and an outstanding poem. I am deeply honored. Thanks a bunch.
Comment from GracieAnn
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nassus, this is a needful and overwhelmingly powerful in its presentation and message for societal attention to the plight of the human female gender. The rhyme is to the point and concise as the meaning should be. Well done! :0 GracieAnn

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks my friend for considering this poem well done and thanks too, for the five stars.
Comment from Louise Michelle
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I never heard it said that genital mutilation is a rite of passage. However, I was aware that older generation women considered it something that was just done. Perhaps that's what you were referring to. Nicely written. Hugs, Lou

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks a lot Lou for reading and stopping by and thanks for the five stars again. God bless.
Comment from Dom G Robles
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I like this poem, its rhyme and rhythm is excellent. The theme is rather pathetic. It is some kind of primitive practice to castrate a woman's "clitoris" and deny her of
a birth of a child or children. Learning for the first time that this is happening in some parts of the world (in remote
areas of Ethiopia) it is sympathetic and this is the theme of the poem, "Condemn us not" This is against freedom, human rights, and which must be prevented by agencies of the United Nations. Thanks for sharing. Dom

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks a lot Dom for responding strongly to the message of the poem, thanks too for considering that its rhythm is excellent. I am deeply honored, God bless.
Comment from Dean Kuch
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H-m-m-m-m-mmmmmmmmm... very interesting, nassus. I was aware of this practice by Al Qaeda and some other Muslim extremists, but was unaware of such goings on in Ethiopia. Doesn't that nation have enough woe already?

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Dear Dean, it is a ritual even in Sudan, Tanzania, and other remote areas in Africa, please do search Google for other details. It did not mention about Al Qaeda or Muslim extremists my friend. God bless.
Comment from Jay Squires
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Yes, I understand the women's angst. Is it supposed to be (or symbolically connected with) circumcision in young boys?

Regardless, it is butchery and needs to stop!

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks a lot for resonating strongly with the message of the poem. Thanks for the five stars too.
Comment from tfawcus
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A powerful poem which illustrates the risks of social ostracism run by those women who stand up against this barbaric practice. I, too, wrote a poem a while ago about FGC in Northern Ethiopia. These ancient rituals seem so hard to override. The girls are often so young and the death rate so high - not to mention the ongoing medical problems for the survivors.

 Comment Written 16-May-2014


reply by the author on 17-May-2014
    Thanks a lot tfawcus, glad that you have written too about it. Thanks for the five stars my friend. God bless.