Infantilizing Her in Defending Her
Let's workshop this poem about how labeling the establishment of boundaries--even absurd ones--as "emotional abuse" can paradoxically undermine the very independence and equality it seeks to protect.
Infantilizing Her in Defending Her
Assuming she is independent,
an equal—no matter how silly
his boundary conditions,
no matter how flagrantly
they stalk from his insecurity,
it is never “emotional abuse”
to insist on them before entering,
or even advancing along,
the romantic relationship.
