In the middle of a neighbourhood

Location

A young woman, eighteen and fair,
With big brown eyes and long brown hair,
Made her way past the lamppost that stood,
In the middle of her neighbourhood.
 
There came a day when she saw a man,
Standing by the lamppost.
The man looked back at her and she saw,
A glint in his eyes that seemed raw.
He looked like an animal, oh yes he did,
With his unruly hair and grown beard.
 
Innocence took over,
And the woman wished on a four leaf clover,
That the man would be better than he looked,
And in his mind, no devil ever cooked.
 
She approached the lone man
And asked if he had a clan,
For the man looked isolated,
In a world so alienated.
 
The evil look in his eye returned,
That is when the woman’s stomach churned.
She could feel the tension in the air,
And knew she would be prey to despair.
 
She turned around to run,
Before danger could stun.
But the man caught her before she could escape,
And had his way with the lovely dame,
In the middle of her neighbourhood,
Where the old lamppost stood.
 
She screamed and writhed in pain,
But she could, no attention gain.
People walked past tut-tutting in pity,
In actuality they had lost their humanity.
They watched the scene with such intensity,
As though watching a soap on TV.
But none of them put their hands forward,
To spare the woman from being tortured.
 
The woman lay on the street for several hours,
Bare and naked, with no place to cower.
With every breath,
She wished for death,
Slow and steady it reached her doorstep.
And now the lamppost in the middle of the neighbourhood,
Is haunted by the terror the girl withstood.
 
In the end the people decide,
Who is to blame and who isn’t.
Those same people who could have helped,
But put the thought aside.
 
This isn’t a story of one, but many
Women across countries.
It is such a shame that women that age,
Live to see such dark days.
 
One step forward for men,
Seems like several steps behind for women.
If only – if only – we heard the pleas,
Of women around the world,
We could save ourselves from a sin of this degree,
And help treasure women like pearls.
 

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741