Northern_Lights_2021

25 Splay keys between fingers Tread carefully on the ground to your car; Check your backseat and lock the doors Thank god for the invention of keychain pepper spray Don’t stay out too late. Self-defense class on Tuesdays Never run alone, especially at night Or with headphones in Memorize men’s faces on dates Don’t say too much. Wear something conservative on a night out They might notice you have a body anyways Travel in twos to the bathroom Never leave the party alone Don’t drink too much. Do the kit when it happens There’s no such thing as if anymore Because “boys will be boys” Walk with shame while he walks free Don’t be a woman. I stand in the cold, Alone. It is dark and terrifying. I feel the wind wisp on my neck, The smell of loneliness fills me. Life would never be the same. I run, My thoughts race with the possibilities. Living freely. I fall, I tremble on my knees. There is nowhere to run to. I go back, To the place that broke me. A life that was exactly the same. I suffer, Alone. While I wait. To Be aWoman C. Williams April’s Wishes Emma Pulfrey