Mother says there are locked rooms inside all women, kitchen of love, bedroom of grief, bathroom of apathy. Sometimes, the men, they come with keys, and sometimes the men, they come with hammers.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the complexities of women's emotions and how men interact with them, either tenderly or forcefully.
Warsan Shire's quote illustrates the intricate emotional landscapes that women navigate, portraying their feelings as locked rooms that can be accessed differently by men. The 'keys' symbolize gentle and respectful approaches to understanding and connecting with these emotions, while the 'hammers' represent destructive or forceful attempts that can lead to emotional harm.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the emotional intelligence required in relationships.
I’m not sad, but the boys who are looking for sad girls always find me. I’m not a girl anymore and I’m not sad anymore. You want me to be a tragic backdrop so that you can appear to be illuminated, so that people can say ‘Wow, isn't he so terribly brave to love a girl who is so obviously sad?’ You think I’ll be the dark sky so you can be the star? I’ll swallow you whole.
We took such care of tomorrow, but died on the way there.
Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you're wearing, who you're around, what you're doing. Recreate and repeat.
Every mouth you’ve ever kissed was just practice. All the bodies you’ve ever undressed and ploughed in to were preparing you for me. I don’t mind tasting them in the memory of your mouth. _x000D_ Was it a long journey? Did it take you long to find me? _x000D_ You’re here now, welcome home.
Make peace with your body, it's not manmade, there are no flaws, there are no mistakes.
You can't make homes out of human beings.
Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret.
two people can sleep in the same bed and still be alone when they close their eyes
Whenever there is a conflict between being right and being kind, if possible, choose being kind.
You're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Agent Starling?
Never underestimate the meanness in people's souls... Even when they're being kind... especially when they're being kind.
I thought I would try to be gay for a while, but I'm just more sexually attracted to women. But I'm really glad that I found a few gay friends, because it totally saved me from becoming a monk or something.
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