They Can No Longer Hurt Me
Blood boiled in every vain,
Like a flicker in every flame.
Tears streaming from my eyes,
‘Cause my life is built on lies.
Overpowered by my fears,
So I kept quiet for many years.
The secrets tore me up inside.
With a twisted mind and arms atied,
They took their turns,
So I buried the burns.
I grew up thinking it was my fault.
My fault for every rape and every assault.
Those dark memories still haunt my brain,
And still I feel I’m the one to blame.
Every night I lie awake,
Wondering how much I can take.
If only someone would have listened
To the screams and to the pleads.
Maybe I could have ended it all
And still be able to stand tall.
But enough is enough.
Tonight I will stay tough
And maybe for once they will see
That they can no longer hurt me.
From FOR A WORLD WITHOUT RAPE FEMALE POETRY, available on: