You can’t do that

No more shall I brush it off as if nothing happened 

No more shall I small and nod and be complacent in your torture 

No more shall I pretend it rolled like water of my back 

Like water like the tears that stained my cheeks behind closed doors that broke my spirit that carved out a hole in my gut 

Times up for your greedy hands 

For your obnoxious laughter 

For your sly comments 

I will turn my tears into an ocean to drown you 

My smile into a bite that will tear at your sour flesh 

My subtle cry for help into a war cry to burst your ear drums 

How many me toos will it take before we realize this culture is more than a culture 

It’s a vicious system infecting the mind and hearts of the innocent 

Robbing the vulnerable of their agency 

Empowering those already in power 

When will it stop 

My roommate, the girl across the hall, my grandma, my best friend, that girl I pass on my way to class, me.

How many victims will it take before we rise to fight this injustice

I apologized to my assailants mom for my assault 

What is wrong with that picture 

What isn’t wrong with that picture

When will we hold perpetrators accountable instead of blaming victims 

Free me from the chains of shame 

Form the cage of guilt you’ve locked me in

No more shall I be walked all over, grabbed, groped, taken advantage of

Now I will fight 

Now I will file 

A formal complaint