As a Woman
Marley Hayman
It’s a quarter past midnight, and I am walking down the street,
I hear the rustles and the imagined footsteps,
I keep my eyes on my feet.
It is almost one o’clock and I am walking down the street,
I am alone; strong and independent,
Taking strides to match my too loud heart beat.
I hear the car beside me as I quicken my pace,
I try not to look up,
I do not know this face.
I hear the car door open, and I feel the unwanted embrace.
I am alone with a stranger,
We are now face-to-face.
He introduces himself, beer tainting his breath,
I say “no”, and he hits me,
I have just met my death.
He forces himself, takes all I have left,
And then finishes me off, what a violent death!
It is four in the morning, and I am lying in a ditch,
I should have just been quiet, when he said
“Need a ride home, Bitch?”
As a female, you should know,
Whether you are poor, whether you are rich,
That it’s not his fault there is no ON/OFF switch.