To Those That Insist

"People who menstruate"

is a sterile turn of phrase.

Remaining highly accurate

in all of the correct ways.

Not tied to any femininity

critics of the term decry.

It's a barrier to a heritage;

being sacred in some's eye.

Those same critics will deny

my period meets the definition,

which happens every other week

with or without critics' permission.

With sharp, stabbing pain it starts

as a needle is jabbed into my thigh.

Intramuscular, to use the right term,

and on its inevitability my body relies.

Side effects are the usual ones

hot flashes, cramps and the like.

For sensitivity and mood swings,

you never know when it will strike.

You get used to it over time

(though it always sucks a little).

I must endure until menopause

or my bones themselves will brittle.

My period is unique to me

even including a bit of blood.

But many suffer this affliction

from having none to a full flood.

Menstruation is not always feminine

trans men and others will attest.

Nor is it necessary to be a woman,

as my sisters and I are so "blessed."

An inconsistent, conflicting approach

the critics' logic seems to be.

Reducing periods to medical terms

was not insisted upon by me.

Dedicated to The Hetrick-Martin Institute, a charity that helps and supports LGBTQ+ youth who, too often, have nowhere else to turn.