( fic: 100 word essay )

Just a cramp, that's my doctor's diagnosis.

But, as all people who menstruate know, it's not just a cramp, it's the weight of the patriarchy crushing my internal organs, my reproductive system, my rights. It's not a cramp, it's my intestines turning to rubble underneath the heels of white, cis men, expensive leather shoes, capitalist creations made by exploitation of women and children and queers. Tons of toxic masculinity, burying me alive.

Listen to your doctor, people say, because your doctor thinks it's just a cramp and we like to agree with your doctor.