a week ago, a friend told me that the first thing you do when you’re drowning is kick

sounds like common sense

but this concept sounded foreign to me

 

that night, i didn’t kick

i said i was tired - that i had to check on a friend

praying to myself that he would leave - but he didn’t

 

from behind i felt his dick over and over

as i pretended to sleep

too scared to say the word NO - too selfless to kick him to the street

 

that night, i didn’t kick

i ran and i kept running

 

i was still running two weeks later

when a dick was coming toward me again

this time in my face as he grabbed my head

 

you can only run for so long before you reach the ocean - and you jump in

 

the water rushes toward you, taking you in as if you are finally home

but it is cold

and you don’t know whether to drown or kick

 

but you are home and it is dark

so you let yourself drown

 

you can only drown for so long

before your toes begin to wiggle and soon you are kicking for dear life

 

you are kicking and kicking but you are still not free

because the ocean’s deep

and the world grows darker and darker

 

why live in a world where we can’t say no

a world where the rapist runs free but the victim must spends weeks fighting, proving herself fit to return to school

a world of fucked up judicial processes and hurtful words

where many drown

 

but today, i choose to kick

and i hope you will too

because we don’t need to be drowning before we start kicking

FUCK THE PATRIARCHY, FIGHT THE SYSTEM

kick for those who can’t kick for themselves