Login
|
Join PoetrySoup
Home
Submit Poems
Login
Sign Up
Member Home
My Poems
My Quotes
My Profile & Settings
My Inboxes
My Outboxes
Soup Mail
Contest Results/Status
Contests
Poems
Poets
Famous Poems
Famous Poets
Dictionary
Types of Poems
Videos
Resources
Syllable Counter
Articles
Forum
Blogs
Poem of the Day
New Poems
Anthology
Grammar Check
Greeting Card Maker
Classifieds
Quotes
Short Stories
Member Area
Member Home
My Profile and Settings
My Poems
My Quotes
My Short Stories
My Articles
My Comments Inboxes
My Comments Outboxes
Soup Mail
Poetry Contests
Contest Results/Status
Followers
Poems of Poets I Follow
Friend Builder
Soup Social
Poetry Forum
New/Upcoming Features
The Wall
Soup Facebook Page
Who is Online
Link to Us
Member Poems
Poems - Top 100 New
Poems - Top 100 All-Time
Poems - Best
Poems - by Topic
Poems - New (All)
Poems - New (PM)
Poems - New by Poet
Poems - Random
Poems - Read
Poems - Unread
Member Poets
Poets - Best New
Poets - New
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems
Poets - Top 100 Most Poems Recent
Poets - Top 100 Community
Poets - Top 100 Contest
Famous Poems
Famous Poems - African American
Famous Poems - Best
Famous Poems - Classical
Famous Poems - English
Famous Poems - Haiku
Famous Poems - Love
Famous Poems - Short
Famous Poems - Top 100
Famous Poets
Famous Poets - Living
Famous Poets - Most Popular
Famous Poets - Top 100
Famous Poets - Best
Famous Poets - Women
Famous Poets - African American
Famous Poets - Beat
Famous Poets - Cinquain
Famous Poets - Classical
Famous Poets - English
Famous Poets - Haiku
Famous Poets - Hindi
Famous Poets - Jewish
Famous Poets - Love
Famous Poets - Metaphysical
Famous Poets - Modern
Famous Poets - Punjabi
Famous Poets - Romantic
Famous Poets - Spanish
Famous Poets - Suicidal
Famous Poets - Urdu
Famous Poets - War
Poetry Resources
Anagrams
Bible
Book Store
Character Counter
Cliché Finder
Poetry Clichés
Common Words
Copyright Information
Grammar
Grammar Checker
Homonym
Homophones
How to Write a Poem
Lyrics
Love Poem Generator
New Poetic Forms
Plagiarism Checker
Poetics
Poetry Art
Publishing
Random Word Generator
Spell Checker
Store
What is Good Poetry?
Word Counter
Email Poem
Your IP Address: 216.73.216.214
Your Email Address:
Required
Email Address Not Valid.
To Email Address:
Email Address Not Valid.
Required
Subject
Required
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
… Throughout my life, the same phrase has been repeated to me- “no means no.” The concept of refusing an action you’re uncomfortable abetted me towards hope; growing up, distraught was brought upon me due to my safety. When I felt as if I was in danger, that phrase comforted me; it acted as a reminder that I could fail to comply and be okay. But I had to learn that “no means no” is just another standard of society, which is meant to be taken seriously, but isn’t. Even if I had to understand that through my own actions. … When I was ten, I was perpetuated to wear bras which would cover nothing but the maturity I longed for. As my mind and body matured, my everything was taken- including my choices. Being the young girl I was, it was never my fault, but suddenly what was under my shirt decided my worth. The “old men” I was warned about suddenly weren’t the problem- I was; I was sexual for having a human body. My world shifted as no began to mean no only if you didn’t have human anatomy. … Those times I was catcalled despite being a child were terrifying; though I was told by the unspoken depths of society that I was the sexual one. When I stopped wearing bras due to a medical issue, it seemed as if my safety faded alongside my condition- it was a difficult choice of being safe or not being harassed. I chose to be safe. I shouldn’t have thought it was my fault when they forced me- when those sexual comments and actions were brought upon me, because it was simply my body, and I refused to sacrifice my health for it. The phrase which was countlessly engraved into my soul shifted again; suddenly, no meant nothing unless you covered yourself. … I wore jackets and long sleeved shirts under my normal ones, claiming it was an arc of my “fashion,” but it was to avoid sexual acts. Despite this, those horrid acts and comments continued, and suddenly nothing was comprehensible. I matured, I did everything to stay out of it, but it was still happening- so I sat down and questioned everything until I realized. In the real world, no means nothing. Once processed, I broke down crying. The only escape was the light of death, which I attempted but was caught- and I learned. No means no- quite contradictory to the real world, where it means nothing. But despite this, it’s not your fault; your body isn’t sexual, the people who make out to be are. It’s hard, but escaping this cycle is acknowledging that no means no- and people who make it seem like no means nothing are morons. …
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required