I Wish I Were a Man
written by: Sajida Haddad
My dirty little secret
Is that I wish I were a man
No I don’t mean it like that
I wish I had the choice.
I wish I had the voice.
That invisible permission
to cross the line
and still be forgiven.
I wish respect came standard,
issued with my height,
not something I had to earn
by shrinking or learning to fight.
I wish I weren’t made to overcompensate
for every time I feel small,
as if confidence were a debt
I must pay back in full when I fall.
I wish my anger weren’t a flaw,
my silence not mistaken for awe.
I wish I could fail, reset, restart,
without it branding my name and heart.
I wish I could take up space with ease,
not beg, not bend, not over-please.
To be heard before I have to explain,
to speak once, not echo the pain.
This isn’t envy, lust, or disguise,
it’s exhaustion dressed up as a sigh.
I don’t want your power, your throne, your plan.
I just want the mercy
they hand to a man.
- I Wish I Were a Man - March 9, 2026
- Wintering in Spring - May 26, 2025
- Surviving the Winter’s Wrath - January 29, 2025
