"ultimatums" poems - Hello Poetry

Red flags in the beginning are easy to turn into little sticky notes, notes for later that sometimes lose their adhesive and fall to the ground much like my current tolerance for ****** dudes The first known use for red flags was by the military to indicate they’re ready for battle, unfortunately I’ve seen enough red flags to start the next world war I should’ve known When I came back from Arizona and he said “you must’ve cheated on me because your ****** feels different” Not because he’s insecure or because he doesn’t know trust or because he’s trying to assert control I should’ve known When he asked if I “had a problem getting wet because it seemed like that was a thing” Not because he doesn’t know foreplay (side note: **** doesn’t teach you foreplay) or because he doesn’t actually turn me on or because fun fact!- women can be turned on and not be wet I should’ve known When he said “if you shaved, then I’d go down on you 24/7” Not because he was scared that choking on my ***** hair reminded him he’s with a real woman that grows hair and humans inside her and ideas and opinions and strength and my body is not yours to give me ultimatums of I should’ve known When I asked if figuring out my pleasure was a burden and he answered “actually, yes it is” Not because he’s too lazy to actually want to pleasure anyone but himself or because his only ****** education ended with a .com or because no one has ever expected more of him I should’ve known when he said “What I want out of a ****** partner is someone that wants me inside of them as soon as possible” Not “inside my soul” or “inside my thoughts” or “inside my memories” or “inside an intimacy he will never know” I should’ve known when he said “Let me show you how Rachel did it” Not “this is how I like it” or “can we try this?” or “opening your ******* mind to how another human being moves around you” I should’ve known when He spit on my ****** the universal sign for disrespect Like I deserve the same fate as tobacco swollen cheeks Like my ****** is your spittoon, am I the end of a tobacco session or a fancy wine tasting? these things matter Now I find it symbolic men are taught to spit while women are taught to swallow Swallow our reactions Swallow our feelings Swallow our voices Swallow his releases Swallow his spit Swallow us whole When you see a red flag do not ignore that it means battle This battle is not a healthy one, this battle will leave you bruised Uproot this flag and take it with you to remind yourself You can lose every battle and still win the war 11/28/2016 Amanda Powell

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Jan 6, 2018

Jan 6, 2018 at 8:59 PM UTC

Nanorks

Red Flags

Red flags in the beginning are easy to turn into little sticky notes, notes for later that sometimes lose their adhesive and fall to the ground much like my current tolerance for ****** dudes The first known use for red flags was by the military to indicate they’re ready for battle, unfortunately I’ve seen enough red flags to start the next world war I should’ve known When I came back from Arizona and he said “you must’ve cheated on me because your ****** feels different” Not because he’s insecure or because he doesn’t know trust or because he’s trying to assert control I should’ve known When he asked if I “had a problem getting wet because it seemed like that was a thing” Not because he doesn’t know foreplay (side note: **** doesn’t teach you foreplay) or because he doesn’t actually turn me on or because fun fact!- women can be turned on and not be wet I should’ve known When he said “if you shaved, then I’d go down on you 24/7” Not because he was scared that choking on my ***** hair reminded him he’s with a real woman that grows hair and humans inside her and ideas and opinions and strength and my body is not yours to give me ultimatums of I should’ve known When I asked if figuring out my pleasure was a burden and he answered “actually, yes it is” Not because he’s too lazy to actually want to pleasure anyone but himself or because his only ****** education ended with a .com or because no one has ever expected more of him I should’ve known when he said “What I want out of a ****** partner is someone that wants me inside of them as soon as possible” Not “inside my soul” or “inside my thoughts” or “inside my memories” or “inside an intimacy he will never know” I should’ve known when he said “Let me show you how Rachel did it” Not “this is how I like it” or “can we try this?” or “opening your ******* mind to how another human being moves around you” I should’ve known when He spit on my ****** the universal sign for disrespect Like I deserve the same fate as tobacco swollen cheeks Like my ****** is your spittoon, am I the end of a tobacco session or a fancy wine tasting? these things matter Now I find it symbolic men are taught to spit while women are taught to swallow Swallow our reactions Swallow our feelings Swallow our voices Swallow his releases Swallow his spit Swallow us whole When you see a red flag do not ignore that it means battle This battle is not a healthy one, this battle will leave you bruised Uproot this flag and take it with you to remind yourself You can lose every battle and still win the war 11/28/2016 Amanda Powell