The Art of Saying No

She refused to go out with him; 
He didn't understand, 
She was not interested; 
He was stubborn and unkind, 
He kept thinking; 
She would eventually agree, 
To sleep with him; 
She became a victim, 
of horrifying things. 
She was not safe, 
at her workplace; 
She was asked to stay late at night, 
She didn't want to be alone with him; 
She kept denying, 
He didn't realize; 
She was being polite, 
A refusal; he should have obliged, 
She should have explained, 
A simple 'No'; How hard is it to comprehend? 
She didn't want to get married, 
She was perfectly fine, 
Single and confident; 
She was threatened, 
She had to compromise; 
She didn't long for a companion, 
She didn't have a choice, 
Bounded by restrictions, 
She was forced to tie,
A bond, without love, 
The love she didn't find. 
She couldn't decline, 
She didn't want a child; 
She was not motherly enough, 
To bear a new life. 
She kept lying. 
She was asked to stay at home, 
A prisoner of her conscience. 
She should have said 'No', 
When she was asked to compromise; 
She shouldn't have kept quiet, 
When she was forced to abort a child. 
How could she say 'No'? 
A word, A theory; she could not compile. 
She was expected to obey, to abide, 
She had to agree,
When her man forced himself on her every other night, 
She couldn't deny, 
The family she despised; 
She couldn't say 'No', her 'No' made 'No' sense! 
She knew it all along, but she kept trying.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2021

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artlyy Avatar
September 15, 2026 at 7:02 AM
I've really been enjoying your poem and the emotions and imagery were so vivid that i could easily picture them as beautiful illustration. I'm a commission-based manga/webtoon artist, and I'd love to help bring your story to life if you're ever interested. Feel free to reach out at gm@il : akiracomicart2@ or on inst@ akiraa_artly
Agustin Avatar
March 18, 2024 at 12:30 AM
Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Meanwhile, I greet 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.
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