Don't Trespass On My Body

It is a curse for us women,
To be looked upon like were meant to be ridden,
Like our bodies have treasures hidden 
beneath our clothes,
No matter how modest or scant.

I don't think males realize,
Our bodies are not yours,
The skin we bear is not for you to taint. 
Our bodies are gardens to give lives,
Homes for you to return to,
But, it's something you must earn the right to do.

When your body violates ours,
That's someone's home you devour,
A woman who says, "No" at your touch, 
Is a house with a guard dog out front.
Your presence is something she does not want,
But your continuation is her violation,
Becoming the decimation of her rights, her dreams,
Of wanting to be respectfully seen,
as a woman of beauty,
Worthy of so much more.

Your entrance to her body,
Your selfishness in taking instead of receiving,
Destroying everything she built for herself.

But, a male's excuse merely refers to her dress. 
That she "asked" for you to trespass on her land,
By possibly dressing so scant
That you could not control yourself. 
That you had to take her then or else.

Clothes are no excuse for rape. 
Women's bodies are not for anyone to take.
And, for God's sake,
Learn your place. 
No one should live with the thought on their mind that,
"Oh my God, my body is not mine."

Author's Note

Day 24 with the topic of Sexual Abuse. I struggled figuring out what to write for this one and don't feel that this piece is that great but, it's good enough, I guess. I wanted to write for both men and women, but I'm a woman and I know that women's cases are more vocalized and common (?). Don't quote me. But, I hope any males who have been abused in this way can get something from this as well. All bodies must be respected regardless of race, color, gender, orientation, etc.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This seems quite different than anything I've seen written on this topic and I think the reason is becuz you are presenting clear strong cerebral arguments rather than using drama or emotion, as these kinds of messages often are filled with. I love your first verse so much, I was thinking for a minute this poem would be about the way men violate women in the way they look at them, devour women with their eyes -- and NOT necessarily progressing to the much more extreme situation of rape, which your poem jumps right into, straightforward & no-nonsense. Maybe this approach is better suited to a man's brain, which can often shut down when a situation gets emotional. Here you are making yourself so clear & not clouding with drama -- that's what men understand best. I think you've struck an amazing tone here! (((HUGS))) Fondly, Margie

[Tessa Melendez]

I think that I find it easy to write like this sometimes because I am quite tomboyish and I'm surrounded by males quite often. I believe myself to have more of a male's way of thinking on some things so, I can write pretty straightforward sometimes without really intending to. As the topic was about Sexual Abuse, my most empowered subtopic for that was rape. Rape is one of the most extreme forms as well as one of the most simple forms for people to understand the topic of Sexual abuse and rape.I figure, if I address this idea of rape, perhaps it will still spread to help others understand the impact on females in most any form of sexual abuse, you know. I wrote this to be no-nonsense because, as a victim of rape and sexual abuse - a woman in American society for God's sake - I would like to stop seeing so many stories about women who tried to defend themselves from any kind of abuse put in jail or set with other charges for defending themselves from this. I'd like to stop hearing others like me, who kept it secret from their families and law enforcement simply because we feel that the man won't get more than a slap on the wrist while we get shamed for not doing more about it at that time.

I said way too much but, I tried to address all comments you had.

[barleygirl]

No, I found this very interesting! Thanks for sharing! You did a great job in your poem & in your explanation!