I refuse to tell a little girl
To cover up and hide herself
Because there are animals out there
At this time of the night
I refuse to tell her
To stay home.
I won’t.
So, instead, society, I’ll talk to you today
And tell you to learn to behave
To understand the concept of consent
Since it’s so foreign to you
You don’t like conversations about harassment?
Well, we don’t like facing harassment
So come let’s talk about it
Let’s understand why every cuss word
Insults a woman
Why society has the audacity to blame a survivor
Why our politicians engage in victim-blaming
I’m here to talk
So let’s understand where we went wrong
Where we decided that the person subjected to the infinite pain of rape
Was “asking for it”
I’m not here to put blame
I’m here to demand responsibility
I’m here to talk solutions
So let’s talk about the problem, shall we?
I’ll speak and I’ll listen too
And we’ll together work on a solution
Because I know in my heart, society
That can we can do better
I won’t tell a young girl to wear a skirt that’s ‘long enough’
So, instead, come let’s you and I talk today
And society, let’s together reach the standards
Where we become civilized enough to call ourselves a civilization in the first place
I won’t tell a young girl what not to wear
So, instead, I’ll talk to you
I’ll work with you
And make this society
A civilized enough place.