"Innocence"
Anonymous
I feel the warmth of the sun
As I glide and flitter about the garden
I see Bee balm, Coneflowers, lavender and Blue Indigo
As they shed the morning dew
I hear the finches, the robins, and bluebirds
While I listen to the beautiful song of the hermit thrush
As it echoes in the distance
This is my sanctuary
Full of beauty, peace, and security
I soar downward
Landing now on a patch of milkweed
I am unsuspecting and carefree
But All At Once I Am Swooped Up
A net has ensared me and I spiral downward unable now to move
I am entrapped
And I try desperately to escape
I flutter and fly in circles
But I am unable to free myself
I find I am a mere specimen
A prisoner in my captor's stronghold
Fear, confusion, and exhaustion overcome me
And I have not the strength to fight
I give up . . .
Later I am released from my bondage
There is no longer any use for me now
I am tossed to the ground . . .
And my oppressor will seek yet another victim
While I lay here battered with broken wings
No longer able to fly
"This poem was written for the victims of sexual assault. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month."
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"Birthing Deer"
Anonymous
Don't let her be a deer . . . brown, slender, lithe.
As a yearling, her flesh will be desirable.
Later, eager for earthy pleasures,
she'll wander the fields and woods.
Her ears, relishing the rhythm of her own pace,
will know to fear the young, the old . . . even the withered.
Her nose, quivering at the smell of a cool soil,
will sense the strange air that moves the earth.
Her glance, direct and bold,
will attract unwelcome gazes.
To those who no sooner set their sight upon a deer than
shoot their wad, she'll be prey.
And as if not enough to satiate their lust,
they'll violate her again.
And once assured that her will to live has been extinguished,
they'll claim her as a prize, a trophy.
And they, spent, will soothe their loins
to proclaim the climax of their perennial ritual.
If a desire to live is to be her assassin,
don't let her be a deer.
"This poem was written for the victims of sexual assault. April is Sexual Assault Awareness month."
