Isn't it odd that I consider myself lucky

That no unwanted man has ever put his grubby hands on me?

 

This is not about luck though, or the clothes I've been wearing

I’ve simply been granted what I am declaring

 

Right place, right time, but my sisters are hurting

Telling the world of their stories, heroically alerting

 

Of the crimes committed on them and on us

And how the rest of the world seems to not give a fuss

 

Even the “lucky” ones like me, fear and hesitate

At the events that could occur at any possible state

 

Every passerby a rapist, every stranger a harmer

Anything out of the norm is enough to alarm her

 

And me, sitting here crying and thinking

That my whole life could be altered by what I am drinking

 

How if I walk alone at night, I’ll end up defiled in a ditch

Or if I exercise my right to say no, they’ll call me a bitch

 

I hold my mace to my chest and clutch my keys in my fingers

No matter where I am, the fear of assault still lingers

 

The fact that I’m female never exits my mind

Since we are always on guard and can hardly unwind

 

For even those trusted in our lives can deceive and abuse

We make snap judgements about who we can trust, and often we lose

 

Our femininity demands calmness, patience and meekness

While our confidence and strong personas are often seen as a weakness

 

Men often do not recognize their privilege or seem to understand

That women hardly feel safe in this supposedly great land

 

Since even the survivors, as brave and strong as they are

Aren’t taken at their word, which leaves a nasty scar

 

Despite all the hurt from our leaders and peers

Society cannot define us by or confine us to our fears.

 

I’ll fight for my right to a life that’s worth living

I’ll be bold, I’ll be nasty, but I won’t be giving

 

In to the demands of a messed up society

I’ll march and write and scream until all of us are free

 

From oppression, inequality, racism, fear

To those that underestimate us I hope that they hear

 

I’ll fight for this cause until my last empowered breath

I’d fight harder against oppression then I’d fight against death.