Some of you have never had to

Walk home with your head on a swivel

Your hands clutching keys

Your head filled with fear

Some of you

Have never had to wonder

If you’ll make it home in one piece

If your text will be at least

A trail to your body,

Lying cold on the asphalt

They tell me it’s my fault?

And I’m starting to believe them;

I’m starting to deceive them.

And some of you

Have never been threatened

With your life or your body

By anybody

And it shows

It shows in the way you see men as fathers

Not stalkers

As educators

Not predators

As a form of protection

Not a weapon

Used against you if you dare to speak

It makes me weak

With rage

And it’s strange

To know that I’ll never know again

What it means to feel

Safe and sound

And to be completely honest,

I’m glad

I’m glad you’ll never have to hurt

Or to fear,

In the way that I have

With my quickened pace

And it’s frustrating,

But in this case,

Ignorance equals innocence.