maybe I wasn’t

raped or abused as a child
maybe I wasn’t attacked
in a parking lot
maybe I was almost raped
maybe I was almost abused
maybe all the things that didn’t
happen to me
were a blessing for me

thank you to my angels

I’m so sorry
for all the heartache
and anxiety. I’m so
sorry for your ptsd.
I’m so sorry for your
loss of innocence.

thank you to my spirit guides

I have only four
pregnancies to confess
two of them
were my children.
the other two
we keep silent
in unearthed coffins

thank you to the silence

I have those times
where I lost my mind
waiting for men
to pass me by
pretending to be busy.

thank you, Lord

I look at the exit signs a lot
order new bottles of beer
all the time.
Nothing happened to me
I feel guilty
everything happened to you
I feel guilty
My mom telling me
to be safe
my mom worrying
about my daughter
be safe
moms generational worry
about their daughters
in the  hands of men

please don’t hurt her

I am my mom
every mom
worrying about my/ their girl

please be kind to her

here I am waiting for her
at the metro

please arrive on top

please text me when you have a signal

wanting her to be forever found

not part of the lost tribe

she’s only 19
and the darkness has

happened to her
already

please protect her, daddy

we cannot escape men
their need for power
we can only
talk about it more now.

 

Photo by Claudia Soraya on Unsplash