I forgave the man who raped me,
the day before he carefully screwed a plate into my aged father’s tibia. 

I forgave the man who molested me,
the day LinkedIn told me he is now with Homeland Security’s Sex Trafficking Unit.

I forgave the man who was the closest version of Bundy I’d ever want to hug-
my darkest potential holds the hand of his inner child’s pain, like Jim Beam and a needle.
*

I will vote for a grandpa with a past,
because I want my children to have a future.

We all make choices in self-defense.
This time, I’m grateful I have one. 

Image source

Inspiration for this poem: “Tara Reade Files Criminal Complaint Against Joe Biden,” Business Insider, April 10, 2020.

Hokis is the Founder and Senior Editor of Headline Poetry and Press. Her published works and Darwinian drafts are found at hokis.blog. You can also find her at hokispoetry on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.