Mar 2014
**** is a real thing
It happens in books
It happens in movies
But it also happens to real people
Everyday
People talk about it
All the time
But
To them it's a joke
A hilarious situation
An exaggeration
So extraordinary
It warrants laughter
I ask how the game went
The response
"Oh man, we got *****"
A friend walks out to her car
They yell after her,
"Love you!
Be Careful!
Don't get *****!"
And then the giggles ensue
Because obviously
This isn't a legitimate threat
**** isn't something
We should actually be concerned about
Because obviously
You have control over
Whether or not you get *****
When I hear these things
**** spoken about
In this context
I have to stop myself from
Striking out
In a livid explosion
Of boiling anger and frustration
We live in such a bubble
A bubble of artificial safety
We lie to ourselves everyday
All I want to do is
Pop this bubble
With a giant metal rod
I want to just run at it
And stab at it
Until there is nothing left
I want to scream
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
But usually my mouth stays
Shut
My anger,
Behind the gates
Because it's not the time or place
Because I'm a coward
Because I don't want to be known as
The ****** girl
Who takes things too far
So I endure it
And nothing changes
And gradually
**** loses its
Twisted significance
With each joke
****
Moves further away from
A reality
And closer
To a bad dream
Closer to
A story
That could
Never
Possibly
Happen
To
You
I'm sick of waiting for
The right time
The right place
I don't think they're ever coming
So here it is
**** is real
A cold hard fact
Right there
Stop trying to escape it
Or sugar-coat it
Or rationalize why it's okay to joke about it
Accept it and work to change it
Don't ignorantly perpetuate the problem
It's not that we need to walk around fearing for our lives
That's no way to live
But it's time to adopt some sensitivity
Some awareness
Some sense of reality
We need to give thought to our words
Before they hit the air
Before they hurt the world
Because
**** is real
**** happens in big cities
At night
In downtown alleys
At bars
Behind clubs
To homeless people
To strippers
To prostitutes
To people
"Asking for it"
Whatever that means
But
It also happens
To innocent 14 years old girls
In sleepy suburban Minnesota
In broad daylight
It happens in books
It happens in movies
But it also happens to real people
Everyday
People talk about it
All the time
But
To them it's a joke
A hilarious situation
An exaggeration
So extraordinary
It warrants laughter
I ask how the game went
The response
"Oh man, we got *****"
A friend walks out to her car
They yell after her,
"Love you!
Be Careful!
Don't get *****!"
And then the giggles ensue
Because obviously
This isn't a legitimate threat
**** isn't something
We should actually be concerned about
Because obviously
You have control over
Whether or not you get *****
When I hear these things
**** spoken about
In this context
I have to stop myself from
Striking out
In a livid explosion
Of boiling anger and frustration
We live in such a bubble
A bubble of artificial safety
We lie to ourselves everyday
All I want to do is
Pop this bubble
With a giant metal rod
I want to just run at it
And stab at it
Until there is nothing left
I want to scream
Stop.
Stop.
Stop.
But usually my mouth stays
Shut
My anger,
Behind the gates
Because it's not the time or place
Because I'm a coward
Because I don't want to be known as
The ****** girl
Who takes things too far
So I endure it
And nothing changes
And gradually
**** loses its
Twisted significance
With each joke
****
Moves further away from
A reality
And closer
To a bad dream
Closer to
A story
That could
Never
Possibly
Happen
To
You
I'm sick of waiting for
The right time
The right place
I don't think they're ever coming
So here it is
**** is real
A cold hard fact
Right there
Stop trying to escape it
Or sugar-coat it
Or rationalize why it's okay to joke about it
Accept it and work to change it
Don't ignorantly perpetuate the problem
It's not that we need to walk around fearing for our lives
That's no way to live
But it's time to adopt some sensitivity
Some awareness
Some sense of reality
We need to give thought to our words
Before they hit the air
Before they hurt the world
Because
**** is real
**** happens in big cities
At night
In downtown alleys
At bars
Behind clubs
To homeless people
To strippers
To prostitutes
To people
"Asking for it"
Whatever that means
But
It also happens
To innocent 14 years old girls
In sleepy suburban Minnesota
In broad daylight
