Headline Poetry & Press

she got rid of the t-shirt /
she wore when it happened the first time /
she got rid of the dress /
she wore when it happened the last time /
she got rid of the shirt /
he left hanging from her door /
she cried when they asked /
why she drew him in /
with what she wore.

she got rid of the shirts /
that were cut too low /
the skirts too short /
the jeans too tight.
she retreated into over-sized /
a portable security blanket /
to keep her safe from prying eyes /
she asked why it had to happen /
to her.

she came back to herself /
revitalized /
she armoured herself /
in red lipstick /
scarlet at her collar /
to reclaim the space she knew now /
she was allowed to take up /
she pulled the reins from him /
untamed / unbridled /
and turned on them /
with the whip /
he kept tucked in the saddle.

she bought a new t-shirt /
that fit just right /
she bought a new dress /
to wear and swirl in the mirror /
she brought a new shirt /
to hang on her door /
and a smile to go with it /
she didn't listen /
when they told her she was /
asking for it.

further reading for “Asking for It:” https://orgs.law.harvard.edu/halt/how-to-avoid-victim-blaming/

 Juliette Sebock is a Best of the Net-nominated poet and writer and the author of Mistakes Were Made, Micro, How My Cat Saved My Life and Other Poems, Three Words, Plight of the Pangolin, and Boleyn, with work forthcoming or appearing in a wide variety of publications. She is the founding editor of Nightingale & Sparrow, runs a lifestyle blog, For the Sake of Good Taste, and is a regular contributor with Marías at Sampaguitas, Royal Rose, Memoir Mixtapes, and The Poetry Question. When she isn’t writing (and sometimes when she is), she can be found with a cup of coffee and her cat, Fitz. Juliette can be reached on her website, juliettesebock.com, or across social media @juliettesebock.