The Broad

been addressed as “broad” while sitting in the park & “dame” while on the train, wondering if it was the ****ing 40’s, thinking these men a pain, found herself sitting in the lobby when one turned to her saying “*****,” as if it was just another word to him, like it didn’t mean a thing & while in the mini mart near her neighborhood, a couple teens saw her move saying “chica” & when she passed she heard “*****” amidst other words to describe her body, then down her street those on the corner who’ve known her quite some time, referred to her as “mami” & in the laundry later that afternoon she gets labeled “sexual chocolate,” she gets addressed as “honey,” “baby,” like she was right back in a high school classroom, she gets hit on while folding her clothes, when propositioned blatantly for sex by a man calling her “shorty,” with all the resistance in the world, she makes it out on her own & back down the street, with blood burning a thousand flames inside, with tightened, gritted teeth, the next that comes into her path presenting himself & saying “ho,” gets a kick so hard, so strong so fast in the groin, he hadn’t a moment to say “oh no.”