Cassie Pequignot Poet Spoken Word

It isn't I'm ok

I'm ok

If I say it enough that makes it true right
Just like society when it says it's the girls fault
For the Cat calls and the skimpy Halloween costumes

I'm ok
I'm ok

That's what I say even though I might not actually be ok
When all I know is that men can't learn to think with their heads and not their pants
When I'm told to cover up because even a shoulder can be a distraction

I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok

I play these words on repeat everyday in my head
Because I've been taught that it's my fault that men don't know how to keep their hands off
That everything I do is the leading cause of their reactions 

I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok

These are the words I tell those who are victims of SA and SH to say
Now that they've overturned Roe vs Wade
The victims that are terrified knowing they can't do anything because their rights are being taken away

I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok

These are the words that we've had drilled into our minds since first grade
But these words, they aren't an escape
They aren't armor
They aren't even weapons we can use to defend ourselves

I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok
I'm ok

But what if I'm not ok
What if I'm angry and want to show you that these words don't actually mean I'm ok
What If these words are a way to show you I'm screaming for help
That I don't want to play this little game

It's not our actions that cause men to catcall us it's not our fault we only have skimpy Halloween costumes once we hit our teenage years

It's not our fault that men see a shoulder as a distraction
And it's most definitely not right to take away rights that we so rightfully fought for

It's not my choice to be a man's pleasure object or even another woman's against my will
So maybe you should think before you start telling us to say that we are ok

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Beata Agustin August 25, 2026 at 7:40 PM Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Welcome to Poetry Soup. I welcome you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.

Alison A Smith August 21, 2026 at 9:18 PM A raw, courageous poem that exposes the painful gap between saying “I’m ok” and actually being heard. The escalating repetition becomes a powerful pulse of endurance, anger, and a plea for recognition, while the direct voice refuses victim-blaming and asserts bodily autonomy with urgency and conviction. Cassie Pequignot August 21, 2026 at 9:28 PM Thank you for that, I was angry, and pleading to be seen and heard not just by my teachers but my friends and my family even though I was hiding it all outwardly