By Wendy J Dunn
I don’t understand
the first wave feminist said
all you need to say is
‘Go get fucked,’
to be left alone.
that’s what I did
when I was young
and I never had trouble with men
When I was young
I was terrified of men
My six foot one father
saw to that
Fist, foot, belt, stick
he lashed out
at the drop of a hat
I was sixteen
when he broke my spirit
He beat me
knocked me to the ground
kept beating me
until I broke,
and crumbled inside
After that
it took years
and raising three sons
to get over
my fear of men
I could never say,
‘Go get fucked’.
(And why should I?)
Raised voices
frightened me
I cowered,
and hid
rather than
stood up for myself
That fear left me
defenceless,
and in danger
Those who hurt
know who to hurt.
The already broken,
are targets
for them.