Rape: A State of Emergency more

Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal Date Submitted by the Author: Complete List of Authors: Keywords: rP Fo Journal: Manuscript ID: Manuscript Type: ee Rape: A State of Emergency Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal GWST-2010-0036.R1 Prose and Poetry 29-Aug-2010 Vest, Jennifer; University of Central Florida, Philosophy rape, violence, survival, take back the night, protest, feminism, women gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Page 1 of 8 Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Rape: A State of Emergency One out of every four women Every two a half minutes The stats are tragic The stories so much sadder This is urgent business rape Is bloody business rape Happens everywhere, injures everyone It happened to my mother when she was only 18 At knifepoint producing a child She did not have the legal choice To have or not have It happened to my best friend on a couch In the middle of the day It happened to my neighbor at 9 My girlfriend Sarah at 8 My classmate Kara Lin at 10 All at the hands of uncles fathers Brothers and their friends It happened to Jose in his own bed It happened to my little sister’s best friend In the coat room at a party where she passed out And awoke prey to her groping coworker’s lust It happened to Kamala in an all-girl dorm At an all-girls school Where her Muslim parents thought she would be safe. It could have happened to you Were you wearing tight jeans, a short skirt, a low cut blouse? No wonder you got raped Did you let your boyfriend walk you back to your dorm room? No wonder you got raped. Did you make out with him and then say he had to go home? Have you ever gone out on a date with a man you didn’t know? No wonder you got raped. rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal Page 2 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Only rapists can stop raping. Were you left home alone with your brother Your stepfather? A male babysitter? No wonder you got raped Did you talk back to a white cop? Were you kissing a girl in public? Did you go to the bar unescorted? No wonder you got raped Only rapists are to blame Did you stay late in the library studying for your test? Did you work a late shift at work? Did you go to a party and get high or drunk? No wonder you got raped We have to stop telling these lies to girls Only rapists can stop raping Did you get lost and end up on the wrong side of town? Were you trying to live within your means and ride the bus? Did you travel to strange new city and walk around? Were you the only woman in an elevator full of men? Are you the only girl in an all-boy band? No wonder you got raped Do you enjoy sex? Do you like to make out with boys or men? Did you assume you had the right to say When? Did you forget you were a woman And imagine you were free? Were you thinking about your job, your kids, your hopes, your dreams? Were you preoccupied with your life and its deeper meaning? Did you forget about rape for a minute. Just one minute? Were you just trying to live your life for a minute? rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Page 3 of 8 Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 No wonder you got raped Only rapists are to blame This is a state of emergency Women are crying, cutting themselves, dying Blaming themselves, Struggling to survive When are we going to declare this a state of emergency? We have declared wars for so much less Kayla tells me “It was stupid dark night in the June of 99” The city Houston The weapon his large heavy body, a gun She was new to America “And this is how you greet me?” Esme tells me it was “the middle of the night” In August of 2004 On a base in the desert The city Baghdad, Iraq The weapon: Her superior officer Twice her size He thought he was in charge Sunny tells me, “it was a firefly night“ in her twelfth year During that magical part of summer When the kids get to stay out late Right before The 7th grade The city: Anytown, USA The weapon: her brother Two years older and besides who would believe? Tell me how is it the stories never end Tell me how is it I have so many family members and friends Tell me why have all the women I love been raped What kind of country do we live in what kind of world Every two minutes; One out of four women How have such crimes become so commonplace? This is urgent business, bloody business, tragic business For thirty years now we women Have been blowing the clarion call For thirty years now we survivors Have been sounding the alarm rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal Page 4 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 For thirty years now we feminists have been Taking back the night, marching marching out Into the black black night Telling all our stories testifying, Expressing all our rage When will our chanting our marching Be enough? When can we go home in peace, walk home in peace Stop the screaming stop the shouting Stop this terrible necessary crusade? This is a state of emergency Women are dying, cutting themselves, killing themselves Struggling to survive When are we going to declare this a state of emergency? We have declared wars for so much less. rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Page 5 of 8 Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Rape: A State of Emergency One out of four college women Every two a half minutes 60% of rapes never reported The facts are tragic But the stories make me madder Are much sadder Half of all the women in my family Most of the friends and lovers I’ve ever had. Rape is an epidemic Its time to recognize this Too many women live in fear In a country we call free Its time to put an end to this To take back our bodies To take back our lives Its time to walk the streets Without worrying about The ever-present threat I asked my mother long ago What is the one poem I should write Write about rape she said It happens everywhere to everyone It happened to my mother when she was only 18 At knifepoint producing a child She did not have the legal choice To have or not have It happened to my best friend on a couch In the middle of the day It happened to my neighbor at 9, My girlfriend Sarah at 8 My classsmate Kara Lin at 10, All at the hands of uncles, fathers Brothers and their friends It happened to Jose in his own bed It happened to my little sister’s best friend In the coat room at a party where she passed out rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal Page 6 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 And awoke prey to her groping coworker’s lust It happened to Kamala in an all-girl dorm At an all girls school Where her muslim parents thought she would be safe. It could have happened to you Were you wearing tight jeans, a short skirt, a low cut blouse? No wonder you got raped Did you let your boyfriend walk you back to your dorm room? No wonder you got raped. Did you make out with him and then say he had to go home? Have you ever gone out on a date with a man you didn’t know? No wonder you got raped. Only rapists can stop raping. Were you left home alone with your brother, Your stepfather? A male babysitter? No wonder you got raped Did you talk back to a white cop? Were you kissing a girl in public? Did you go to the bar unescorted? No wonder you got raped. Only rapists are to blame. Did you stay late in the library studying for your test? Did you work a late shift at work? Did you go to a party and get high or drunk? No wonder you got raped. We have to stop telling these lies to girls. Only rapists can stop raping Did you get lost and end up on the wrong side of town? Were you trying to live within your means and ride the bus? Did you travel to strange new city and walk around? Were you the only woman in an elevator full of men? Are you the only girl in an all-boy band? rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Page 7 of 8 Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 No wonder you got raped Do you enjoy sex. Do you like to make out with boys or men? Did you assume you had the right to say When? Did you forget you were a woman And imagine you were free? Were you thinking about your job, your kids, your hopes, your dreams? Were you preoccupied with your life and its deeper meaning? Did you forget about rape for a minute. Just one minute? Were you just trying to live your life for a minute? No wonder you got raped Only rapists are to blame This is a state of emergency Women are crying, cutting themselves, dying Blaming themselves, Struggling to survive When are we going to declare this a state of emergency? We have declared wars for so much less Kayla tells me “It was stupid dark night in the June of 99” the city Houston the weapon his large heavy body, a gun She was new to America “And this is how you greet me?” Esme tells me it was “the middle of the night” In August of 2004 On a base in the desert The city Baghdad, Iraq The weapon: Her superior officer Twice her size He thought he was in charge Sunny tells me it was a firefly night in her twelfth year During that magical part of summer When the kids get to stay out late rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly Women's Studies An inter-disciplinary journal Page 8 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 Right before The 7th grade The city: Anytown, USA The weapon: her brother Two years older and besides who would believe? Tell me how is it the stories never end Tell me how is it I have so many family members and friends Tell me why have all the women I love been raped What kind of country do we live in what kind of world Every two minutes; One out of five women How have such crimes become so commonplace? This is urgent business, bloody business, tragic business For thirty years now we women Have been blowing the clarion call For thirty years now we survivors Have been sounding the alarm For thirty years now we feminists have been Taking back the night, marching marching out Into the black black night Telling all our stories testifying, Expressing all our rage When will our chanting our marching Be enough? When can we go home in peace, walk home in peace Stop the screaming stop the shouting Stop this terrible necessary crusade? This is a state of emergency Women are dying, cutting themselves, killing themselves Struggling to survive When are we going to declare this a state of emergency? We have declared wars for so much less. rP Fo ee gwst Email: womstudj@cgu.edu rR ev ie w On ly