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The world still doesn't care about girls.

We still tell them to shout fire.

We still tell them that they will be called a liar.

We say your shoulders are distracting

And we tell you that you're overreacting  

That your learning is less important than his.

Why don't we tell our boys that girls are not objects to play with

That this isn't something you'll get away with

And have it be true

The world still doesn't care about girls

They said I was confused, that I misunderstood

Is this what it means to enter adulthood?

It means we're punished for being open?

Or having to pretend we were just joking?

I wasn't a child, I was eighteen years old.

Now I carry it, it comes back around, like the flu or a cold

When it's someone you know

Someone you should be able to trust, where do you even go?

We live in a world where men think being accused

Is the same as being sexually abused.

Where if a woman says something, she's just lighting a fuse.

But I'm starting a fire because I'm sick of living in hues of gray.

I don't want to sit back and pretend I didn't lose something

And then I turn on the tv and feel sick if I watch the news

I see we live in a society where we teach girls to protect themselves

We tell them to make sure he rapes a different girl, not you.

One in three women they say, make sure it's not you.

The world still doesn't care about girls

And when we speak up, we're told he won't be punished.

So why bother saying anything at all?

We're told we won't be believed.

Well not today, not for me.

I'm tired of somedays, and maybe they'll see.

We live in a world where girls clothes are regulated

To make sure it's the boys who are educated.

We tell our girls their cases won't be advocated

That boys will be boys, and their comfort is overrated.

You're still to blame because you don't want

To be treated the way you treat women

And then you don't want to be the villain

Catcalling us on the streets

But what if it was your daughter, your mother, your niece?

Defending yourself, saying we can't take a compliment

And we have no choice but silence when you're dominant.

The world still doesn't care about girls

You walk down the street without a care

But we worry we'll be trapped in some nightmare

Make sure it isn't you.
The world still doesnt care about girls

She'll always be more drunk, showing more skin, be more alone

And when you say nothing, you don't even realize you condone it

When you say she was drunk, it was her fault,

And you're saying it wasn't really an assault

I won't be silenced,

Not in the face of this violence

Not when a boy can **** a girl and get three months

Where they can sit back and call us ****** and *****

Not when he can 'grab em by the *****'

But if I say something, they'll just shoot me down or call me pushy.

I'm tired of meaning nothing

I'm tired of them thinking touching

Without permission is their given right

And how dare we try to fight

The world still doesn't care about girls

My words demands to be spoken,

And I refuse to be broken.
Shannon Butler Aug 2020
I’ve never let anyone in
At least not all of the way
The door is open, but only part of the way
They can step inside but
The most important door is locked
On those nights when everything is dark
When I know I’m mediocre at best
When there’s a flood of tears
And I can’t give a reason to them
When I yell in my head
Asking God why he gave me this
Why he made me so **** breakable
I don’t mind the broken bones
The scars make us who we are
It’s the ones inside I can’t stand
The ones behind the door that’s locked
Even the things I thought I was good at
Mediocre is the word of the day
But it’s only at night
These demons come crawling in
When the world seems to shrink and expand infinitely
And I can’t see the end
But feel the edges creeping closer
When I can’t breathe for fear of poison
But it’s already there, in my head
In that room I keep away from everyone
The poison is a part of me
And I just wait for it to **** me
But maybe it will just stay there
I’m too mediocre for it to care
Whether I live or die
Shannon Butler Jul 2020
Today
Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And Came and went
And went
Shannon Butler Jun 2020
Why should you care who I love?

It's not like it's the only thing I'm made of.

It's not even any of your business unless I make it so

My life is not some game show.

God forbid we even use our rainbows

You get up in arms and claim we're taking YOUR rights

And claim we're shoving it in your faces when we dare to fight

I should be able to be proud of who I am

I'm just another human, *******.

You don't need straight pride,

That's every day, worldwide

We are persecuted, murdered, beat up, every day

For being who we are, for just being gay

But we stand up, because God loves us

And Jesus said love each other, so what is there even to discuss?

Thank you to those who support us.

Love is love

THAT is what I'm made of.
Shannon Butler Apr 2019
Take a deep breath
Don’t let life make you broken
In and out
Sometimes the words don’t need to be spoken
You gotta focus on you
Don’t let anyone bring you down
Grab a latte, buy some Uggs
Wear your own **** crown
Sometimes sadness will drag you under
But just keep walking, keep your head up
Lightning always comes with thunder
You’re the light, you have a spark
Don’t let them forget you
Whatever it takes, wherever you go
Don’t let yourself neglect you.
Shannon Butler Feb 2019
Quarter of a century down
Still trapped in the same old world
A world of part time jobs and no benefits
Of living with our parents
And hearing about millennial privilege.
The privilege of working our ***** off
And having nothing to show for it
The privilege of not going to the doctor
Because we can't afford to get sick
The privilege of hearing how we're killing industries
Because we've found better ways to spend our time
The privilege of knowing one in 3 of us has been molested in our lifetime
And knowing most of them don't believe us.
The privilege of participation awards
But knowing the difference between winning and dying
Because we can't afford basic medications
The privileges of being 25.
Shannon Butler Nov 2018
In the land of andere
In the world of endless meander
The heir has long been foretold
Carrying the power of the queens of old
A demon shall ally with an angel
Two shall become one in danger
One of four will be chosen
The daughter of the one who was stolen
With an iron sword she shall swing
Peace or chaos she may bring
For a thousand years was fought
To their knees they all shall be brought
The last of the andere has foreseen
The unfathered shall one day be queen
This is the beginning of a fantasy I'm writing, a prophecy that kicks it off. Would love feedback!
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