deepundergroundpoetry.com

She was Asking for It

Until I was seventeen I was afraid of every man I met  
It was confusing to my mother who'd seen no reason yet  
For me to shake in my boots as they smiled so sweet  
But I knew those smiles turned when they went into heat  
 
I froze in the face of hands looming  
Scared because I knew bruises would be blooming  
If flinches twitched and twitches flinched  
If I even moved an inch  
 
And roaming hands and too wet tongues  
Stretching over skin where no growth had begun  
Touching places I didn't yet need besides basic human function  
Touching places that would one day lead to reproduction  
 
And I did not know how wrong it was when all they said  
Was "it's just fine" and "it's all right", even as I bled  
Only years later, when the fourth grade rolled around  
Did I realize what had gone down  
 
Fourth grade when they taught about bodies and all they could do  
And yet all I could feel was fear all the way through  
Reminded of the promise of bruises under my clothes  
And the way they swore that nobody could know  
 
The home that now, while void of his traces  
Sent my heart beating like it was off to the races  
Under my clothes and beneath childlike breast  
It beat so hard to get out of my chest  
 
"Escape!" it screamed in utter agony  
But I knew there was no escaping this anatomy  
These bones and skin would remain a prey  
Meant for men who were entitled to play  
 
And 'no's mean nothing when they choose not to hear  
Or get off on bringing you fear  
These men on the streets making us paranoid  
When sometimes it's the men in our homes we should avoid  
 
And when they say that "she was asking for it"  
Ask yourself, would you say the same if it were your kid?  
Your sister, your mother, or wife?  
Rape is like murder, without taking life
Written by Llywenllyn
Published | Edited 31st Jul 2017
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
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