They told me to sit small,
legs crossed like folded paper,
voice tucked behind my teeth
as if silence were a virtue.

Cover up
Because if you don’t
It’s your fault

Your fault for their actions

If you ask for help
It never works
“He has a bright future”

If you need it to stop
Need to make a change
You can’t

It’s your body
But it’s their choice

Your skin, a weapon
turned on yourself
distracting, disgusting

You would never ask the same of a man

People ask
Man or bear
The answer may seem obvious to them
But no
Bear
Bear
Always bear
Because if it were a man
It would be so much worse

A man in a room of women
Ecstatic and elated
A woman in a room of men
Terrified and petrified

My shoulders?
Do they distract you
How about the bulge in your pants?
That distracts me
But I can’t say that
That’s unacceptable and awkward

So for once
Maybe instead of protection
Education would be the way to go
Because the answer should never be bear