Poem: She Said No (Rape)

I was in a coffeehouse about seven years ago listening to a co-worker's daughter performing. She spoke about Tori Amos' song, "Me and a Gun," and then said, "And yes, guys, there is such a thing as rape." The words in the song, the singer's comments and the reaction of all of us in conversation after the show, got me to thinking as I drove home. This poem is a product of that thought. It is not based on any personal experience of mine and I am not certain what draws me to it today. At first, I was nervous as to how this poem would be perceived, but I happened to know someone who was date-raped, so I asked her if this piece was out of line or off the mark, or if it had value and was well-voiced. After reading it, she thanked me, said she appreciated it a great deal and apparently passed it on to others. I later heard from about a half dozen other women, some who I did not know at all, who also thanked me for the poem.

Anyway, I hope whoever reads this piece, will come away feeling it has value and purpose. I put it out here for your review, thoughts and feedback.

She Said No (Rape)

She might have looked really fine,
Dressed to kill,
Your mind raced,
Body ached for her,
Perhaps even an exchanged glance,
She sent that "vibe."
So you lured her away,
"Come on, I just want to talk,"
"Trust me."
Yeah right.
So you raped her,
No, she never consented.
Didn’t you feel her palms pushing you away?
Didn’t you hear her screams?
No!
Please stop!
Why?
"But she came to my room,"
Like that justifies something,
"She knows she wanted it,"
No,
Does that word need explanation?
You ripped her panties,
Rape,
You held her down,
Rape,
She said no,
You ignored it for the Fuck,
Rape,
She cried in agony,
Rape,
She begged you,
Pleaded,
"Please, no,"
Rape,
She said no.

Copyright SGW 1997