I took pause when I read the assignment book my family gave me for my birthday. January 3 "Two Virgins" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono was confiscated because they posed naked for the cover. I was to write 15 words that made me uncomfortable then write a poem that also stretched my comfort zone. This is what I came up with...
There are events
few speak of,
fear it will be indecent
to mention the words
needed to explain
some types of pain
inflicted on the meek.
actions malevolent
persons seek
to inflict on others.
—-
on a cold day
in a dark place
a man of mediocre
skills inflicted his will on her.
she lay naked
helpless
faint from the horrific
event she just endured.
she staggers in to have
the semen from her vagina
preserved for future
investigation.
---
Statutory rape is beyond
understanding,
something that only happens to others
something that leaves a woman wondering
do I report this?
for to do so could be walking into
another hell
will others believe what she tells?
—-
She knew him
he was her boss
an attractive man
one she would have dated
if she had not hated him so.
alone with him in his office
he takes pause from his dictation,
stands up, steps uncomfortably close.
she feels a sensation
a desire to run
but figured she was just being dumb.
he leans down and lifts her skirt over her head.
she doesn’t remember much after that because
her mind went dead,
she was out of her body
and he was in.
after, he lowers her skirt
and walks out the door,
she felt like a whore.
Why didn’t she fight?
she just allowed it to happen
she did not even scream
she has gone in to have evidence collected
but fears reporting due to her need for employment.
---
It’s a story not unique
just one that is difficult to speak about.
yes, there are rules in place
but reality often makes women face
men that do not care about rules.
women that do not have the tools
to defend are in a bad position.
I saw many woman like this when I
had the honor of teaching self defense.
my heart was heavy each time I heard the tale
wishing I had reached them, taught them
the methods needed
to send these malevolent men to jail.
By Lynn Hahn
