Hormonal Agony

the cramps, the headaches, the
moodiness, the tiredness,
the need for chocolate and sweets,
being horny for long peroids
of time isn't really my idea of fun
not to mention the bloating and the
constant fear of staining your clothes
especially on the strong days;
being a woman isn't always a cakewalk
having to plaster a smile on your face
going through this agony at work
is always a hassle—
sometimes i cannot hide how i feel,
and people say it's not that bad is it?
i can only smile sarcastically
especially when men ask me this because
they'll never know this hormonal
agony that's ravaging me all because
my body is having a temper tantrum over
something i should be praised for
instead of punished over—
they should give us free ice cream and free midol
until it's all over because this isn't a fun experience
in any sense of the word.

- linda m. crate 

Linda M. Crate is a Pennsylvanian native born in Pittsburgh yet raised in the rural town of Conneautville. Her poetry, short stories, articles, and reviews have been published in a myriad of magazines both online and in print. She has three published chapbooks A Mermaid Crashing Into Dawn (Fowlpox Press - June 2013), Less Than A Man (The Camel Saloon - January 2014), and If Tomorrow Never Comes (Scars Publications, August 2016). Her fantasy novel Blood & Magic was published in March 2015. The second novel of this series Dragons & Magic was published in October 2015. The third of the seven book series Centaurs & Magic was published November 2016. Her novel Corvids & Magic was published March 2017.