How many privileged white dudes
does it take to silence
a woman?

For me, it took five.
Five.

Ben.
Austin.
Danny.
Seth.
Keith.

They told me:
Clench your teeth.
Seal your lips.
Never speak
“disrespectfully.”

They think we women
are like weeds,
sprouting where we shouldn’t be,
unruly in cracked sidewalks,
unwelcome in their polished gardens.

Cut me down.
Poison me.

But know this:
when you cut a ****,
you scatter seeds—
and they will grow,
quietly,
loudly,
across centuries.