The Framed Mirror of Male and Female

The bullet points describe a painting my former partner painted. He is Afghan. I have posted the description as it is very powerful metaphor for how women are seen in his society and why equality must not be just a platitude but a genuine understanding of equal rights to life and liberty.

• two people, a male and a female standing in front of a mirror, the frame around the mirror represents the frame of my society;
• the reflection of the woman on the mirror is just a veil without a face, it means that she doesn’t represent anything, as a person in that society because she doesn’t have a personality;
• the flame on her veil represents the pain which burns her all the time. The pain of being in prison, being a second class citizen and being treated as an object;
• the male who has put on a western suit, the other way around represents an ignorant person but his image on the mirror cuts the mirror and you see in the back of the mirror there is a way for him to escape;
• on the chessboard of society he is the only one that plays in his own favour and he is the winner because he is the only player. The white squares belong to the male and the black holes which represents the black squares of the chessboard, belong to woman, she can’t play on that because they are holes and she will fall down;
• the black gloves on the males hands represents the evidence that the man dug the black holes;
• through the door in the mirror, the man can escape and the door represents the future too, which is a way out from that frame and even the man doesn’t know how to wear a suit. That change, is a shocking change, but in our society it is accepted because it is done by a male. But if a woman says something about freedom it will be a shock to everyone. Women are regarded as stupid.
• the flame also will burn the veil, the flame means freedom, it is rebelling and it will burn all the frame which is wooden and it will get to the freedom which is outside the frame.

This poem was written in response to the painting.

REALITY A REFLECTION

There is no such thing,
as extroversion or introversion,
the emotional disposition is really the same,
the waves crashing stealing erosion,
impossible to tame the sudden explosion,
unceasingly sculptures the terrain and invigorates,
our world is merely over compensating and under compensating,
never reaching an equilibrium state.

Each of us is looking for our freedom,
but it is a feeling no-one knows,
we couch our dreams in rationale language,
oscillating between the highs and lows.

We think we have to fight,
to be languished by the light,
we must not miss our chance,
the Self is our romance.

But there are others in the picture,
pawns on the chessboard,
to be positioned on the front line,
to be sacrificed,
to be replaced,
but staring at the reflection,
they no longer have a face.

Do not be frightened,
you are worth more than that,
take her hand and truly open your heart,
don’t allow illusions to tear you apart,
love and loyalty are her truest qualities,
give her equal freedom and begin to understand,
the humbleness of being holy,
is to truly be a man.