I would change how society views sexual assault victims.

Shhh You Are Worthy
By: Jennifer Cannady

It was all so surreal
So bizarre
I thought I finally had a friend
Someone who cared
Someone who worried about me
Someone who could save me from my sleepless nights and tear filled eyes
Someone who would hold my hand and remind me I am stronger then depression
But the sweetness only lasted so long
Before you ripped the rug from underneath me
And watched me trip into your trap
I was an experiment to you
Nothing but a reaction to see how much fire I could bear
How much burning I could take before I needed the ice
Someone to prove you were the man everyone thought you were
I thought we were friends
But I was your victim
You whispered to me
Shhh it’s okay
You plummeted me with every ounce you had
Shoving your body against me
It disgusted me
You held me down so you would not be able to hear the repeated words
No, no, no
Shhh it’s okay
You said this is what friends do
I shook my head in disbelief
This could not be happening
The one person I thought understood me was nothing more than a perpetrator
Nothing more than a lie of friendship
Nothing less than pure evil
Shhh it’s okay
I let you drive me home
As I got out of the car, you yelled my name
I never looked back
Not even for a single second
And I am so glad I didn’t
Everyone at school wondered why I wouldn’t want to be with a perfect man like yourself
You told them I liked it
That I was asking for it
No, no, no, I was not
But I kept my mouth clamped shut
Because that is what good girls are suppose to do
Never tell a soul
Never say you are hurting
Shhh it’s okay
Let the people judge you
Call you every name in the book
Spit in your face
But, let it be impossible for that smile to leave you
Make it intoxicating
Shhh it’s okay
Let the depression take control
Let your mind wander
To places that you never knew existed
Let people say you’re a stupid girl
A dumb broad
A pathetic waste of time
Or even better
A liar
But do not ever say the boy with the full ride scholarship to play football hurt you
Don’t ever let anyone know the weight of him crushed you
That you struggle to get out of bed in the morning
That you have flashbacks that make you unable to breathe
Because there’s people that don’t understand
That are in the comfort of their home
That are saying you deserved every ounce of pain you endured
No means no
But to society, it doesn’t matter
You are still worthless
Shhhh it’s okay
No, no, no it’s not