Objectified

From the age of 10, we were If boys pulled out hair or poked us with pencils They liked us. But we didn't like it very much. We were 13 years old when we would walk down the street And had men look at us from our face to our feet. We'd listen as they completely replaced our identity From human--to object.. Momma always said "If a strange man is followin' you, go to the other side of the street. And if they grab you--Scream." This was something we had to learn at 13 just because we were young and naive. We got our ass slapped in school but it was cool because it meant we had nice bodies And they rated our bodies 1-10, if you were a 10 you heard whistles and "damn girl!" But if you were a "damn girl" You weren't a damn girl at all You were just a toy labeled "Do whatever you want to, even though I don't agree." We had to watch what we were because if too much shoulder was showing We had to change our clothes because it was distracting the boys from their learning So the only we were learning were tips and tricks to tie up our shirt so that It didn't hang too low because that would show the boys we wanted it. Because wearing shorts and tank tops meant we were flaunting it. When we were 16, we screamed because the men on the street finally caught up to us We quietly said "Don't touch me there.." But that meant go We said no But that meant yes So they grabbed us and unzipped our dress They threw us down where ur dignity sank lower than the ground They hovered over us as we pleaded for them to stop They got on top of us and you don't need to know the rest because we're some Of the 68% of victims that never tell a soul so we'll just grab our dress and go home We'll take a few showers and try to get some sleep In the morning, we'll choose an outfit that looks the most discreet Because we never want another man to look at us and think We're sweet enough to taste. We will sit in the back of class so know one ask how our weekend was Because if they do, We might just burst into tears We went from boys poking us To men provoking us We went from playing with toys To being to toys ourselves So boys will be boys And us women will never tell...