I woke up this morning, the sun illuminating the confines of my room.

I got ready for work, wearing an impeccable dress suit and killer heels

I ordered a coffee from a cafe, bustling and warm

The line was long, and the barista made my coffee with a charming smile,

Even though I took three minutes to decide what I wanted.

I hailed a cab to work

and made it to the conference just in time.

The board listened to me, my boss nodded encouragingly -

And I deserved this. Years of school, years of hard, honest work

Got me the respect, the recognition, the life I deserve.

I woke up this morning, the sun illuminating the confines of my room.

I got ready for work, wearing an impeccable dress suit and killer heels

I ordered a coffee from a cafe, taking a few minutes to decide

And the barista joked loudly about how long women take to make decisions.

The men behind me snickered and agreed.

As I hailed a cab, a man passed by me

With a disgusting catcall and wolf whistle.

I made the conference meeting just in time,

But the board questioned my every sentence,

And my boss took away every bit of self-esteem I had left -

Criticizing everything from the way I talked to the way I dressed

I did not deserve this. Years of school and hard honest work,

Still did nothing to change the sexist thoughts of these men.

I'm just a woman, too ambitious, too forward, too slutty-looking

This is not the life I deserve.