anchor.diff:  there was this one +
   brown girl. her energy +
   was a bit strange +
  -
  -she looked like +
  -the kind of girl +
  -that would get +
  -angry at anything +
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -by public outcry, +
  -the Y
  -
  -then I https://www.facebook.com/theyoniversecollective/photos/a.298107960823996/298111290823663/?type=3&theater[came back] +
  -to finish the piece +
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -And it's unfortunate +
  -since I was ready to +
  -recommend the event to +
  -all of my poetry friends. +
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -
  -if I don't know what +
  -I did "wrong" then how +
  -am I expected to improve, +
  -to prevent myself from +
  -doing the exact thing again +
  -
  -but hey, if the audience +
  -goes home happy and doesn't +
  -
  -
  -turn a negative
  +that evening +
  +
  +she seemed like +
  +she was angry for +
  +some reason +
  +
  +as I soon realised, +
  +she expressed her +
  +
  +when she shouted +
  +
  +"Women are not your playthings!" +
  +
  +what? +
  +
  +to this day, +
  +I have no clue +
  +what she meant. +
  +
  +but that was just +
  +the start. +
  +
  +there was also +
  +this one white girl +
  +
  +standing behind a table +
  +at the back of the room. +
  +
  +I don't know who she is +
  +
  +
  +but she knows +
  +who she is +
  +
  +the one who 
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +
  +at some point, white girl +
  +decided to 
  +
  +I think she asked me +
  +why I wrote the piece +
  +or what I was thinking +
  +when I wrote it. +
  +
  +can you imagine +
  +having literally +
  +everyone in the +
  +entire room +
  +
  +roughly seventy +
  +five people or so +
  +
  +turning to look +
  +directly at you +
  +
  +for a response +
  +
  +while you are still +
  +in a state of shock? +
  +
  +I don't even want +
  +to think about it. +
  +
  +fortunately, I was +
  +still somewhat sane +
  +at that point +
  +
  +saying something about +
  +my personal experience +
  +and how I'm still in a +
  +
  +state of shock so +
  +I can't think properly. +
  +
  +all I would like +
  +to say, is +
  +
  +thanks for that, +
  +white girl. +
  +
  +no, really. +
  +
  +I hope I never see you +
  +again in my entire life. +
  +
  +-
  +
  +
   
   
   -
  
positive.code: 
  it's the same thing. +
  
  -
  
  On my way out, +
  The Yoniverse team +
  was packing up. +
  
  
negative.code: 
  Friday 23rd November 2018. +
  
  I wanted to perform +
  a https://scriptindex.github.io/2018/09/11/Women.html[spoken word] piece +
  I had https://farm66.static.flickr.com/65535/48596076557_f842c1df74.jpg[memorised] for +
  a recent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWjxVYxxkGE[poetry event]. +
  
  the title: +
  
  'Women.' +
  
  I had two things to consider. +
  
  Firstly, there were +
  only five open mic +
  slots on the day. +
  
  Secondly, I saw an +
  Instagram post about +
  their unique open mic +
  policy (now removed) +
  
  giving priority to +
  to South Asian https://feministoasis.com/inclusive-language-womxn-cis-nonbinary[womxn] +
  and queerfolk. +
  
  I had never seen a policy +
  like this before, so I was +
  sure to get there early. +
  
  it was the only thing +
  I could really do +
  
  to maximise my chances +
  of performing there.
  
  -
  
  on the night, I saw +
  the following members +
  of The Yoniverse: +
  
  https://www.instagram.com/shaguftakiqbalpoet[Shagufta K Iqbal], +
  https://www.instagram.com/shareefaenergy[Shareefa Energy], +
  https://www.instagram.com/amanithepoet[Amani Saeed]. +
  
  https://www.instagram.com/salmaelwardany[Salma El-Wardany] was +
  also https://www.facebook.com/theyoniversecollective/photos/a.298107960823996/298111400823652/?type=3&theater[there] but I didn't +
  see her on the night. +
  
  It turns out Amani +
  was signing up +
  the open micers +
  
  so I went up to her +
  and she wrote my +
  name down. +
  
  -
  
  The event itself was +
  actually pretty good. 
  
  https://www.instagram.com/leokalyan[Leo Kalyan] discussed +
  his creative process +
  
  and beautifully sang +
  his latest EP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4KcLu9CNdo[the edge], +
  
  https://www.instagram.com/shareefaenergy[Shareefa Energy] carefully +
  recited her soul-soothing, +
  tongue-twisting poetry +
  
  and https://www.instagram.com/raheemmir[Raheem Mir] performed +
  some barrier breaking +
  gender-bending https://kathadance.org/about-2/what-is-kathak/[Kathak]. +
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed +
  myself and was looking +
  forward to coming +
  
  the next time.
  
  -
  
  
  My name was called. +
  
  The time had come +
  to perform the piece +
  I had
  
  -
  
  
  -
  
  
  
  