As a Woman

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.