Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel,
Mary (virgin, not whore).
Be persecuted. Be a heroine.
Just make sure you’re fucking
Innocent.
Otherwise
you deserve this,
your unbecoming.
By all means, be devastated.
Please cry a little and
tell us how you are breaking.
We might believe you
if your tears are proportionate
to our feelings on the matter.
Tell us how you are breaking
and we might pity you,
if you don’t cause us discomfort.
Just don’t
ever
get
angry.
No matter the circumstance.
No matter how your skin crawls.
No matter your muscle memory.
Tell us in an agreeable manner or
no one will believe you.
Don’t raise your voice.
We might find a special diagnosis
for that kind of behaviour.
Perhaps you would do better
to emulate the unborn.
Unbecome.
Find a small dark box and sit there, please,
until the screams have gone
and there is silence.
Then we could agree that you are
Precious.
Blameless.
Voiceless.
Then we might find you
Innocent.