Woman in a Man's World

Easy camaraderie between friends,
and coworkers.
Just 'one of the guys'.
Except I'll never be a guy and I will never quite get their humor
and their quips,
their insults rolling off me like rain,
because I know they don't mean it,
and I can pack a mean punch too,
or rather, throw a mouse and hope he'll duck.

Their strength is reassuring,
and their laugh reminds me that it is easier to smile than to cry,
that quick wit will get the job done,
and slow on the draw will cause mistakes,
but they will be there to clean it up
as you smile sheepishly
and hope they don't comment.
Don't ask questions if you don't want the answer,
and hardly ever do you want the answer.

It may be hard to be a woman in a man's world,
grow your skin too tough and you will never be you,
but too thin and you will break
at their sniggering and crude humor.
Behind that fake smile, do you want to punch them?
For aiming where it hurts.
Until you realize that they are not laughing at you
but with you, and that they have accepted you
as one of them.

And that is when it is time
to get out of there
lest you turn into
just 'one of the guys'
and they will never again see you
as that elusive,
desirable, mysterious
superior WOman
in a Man's world.