Come woman, let’s bathe together

Come woman, let’s bathe together

We know which shampoo can remove dandruff, cleans your hair,

We know which soap can keep the germs away 
We know, we know, we know all, you know,
What to apply on nails, what to apply on toes,
What to, and, what not to apply on our faces.
Come woman, let’s bathe together
What we don’t know is what to apply to remove the age-old dirt
The dirt of hatred
The dark marks of imposed power on our bodies
Where is the herbal, where is the chemical
Where are the brushes, sponges and scrubbers?
To remove the glutinous norms
Come woman, let’s bathe together
Bring the sponge luffa
Let’s remove the marks of those measures today
Come woman, let’s bathe together today
by cleansing ourselves
You’ll become you
I’ll become me
By being yourself you’ll be mine
Being myself I’ll be yours
Today is the time
Come woman, let’s bathe together

(To Til Jethai, my aunt who used to scrub me when I was a child)