nonage

did it hurt?
no it didn't
did you bleed?
not that I remember
did you resist?
I don't think so
did he beat you?
no, never
well then,
what is your problem?

did he tell you to keep it a secret?
oh yes, she might say
and they might put a tick mark next to it
and say yes, that is a grave crime
even if the other tickboxes
could not be checked

and she might
stare into space as she remembered
that the privilege of the secret
made her glow with pride
as if she was more special to him
than anything else in the world

Well then,
you don't even have a problem,

They might say,

If She spoke of This glow

**

And She Would not be able to tell them

Of how, even When She 

"Grew up" and "moved on"

She thought her role was

To simply lie down and Take it

To be as quiet as possible

To not raise even a finger

And later She Would not
look her lover in the eye

Because She Never knew that 

Intimacy could and should

Be acknowledged between them

And she could go her own way 

Pretending it Never happened
As she has learnt to do

**

She would also 

not be able to tell them

That once parted,

she took care never

to look at him

and yet she saw him

at every unexpected corner

she found him in the "gentleness"

of so called "civilized" men,

and wondered what sordid stories

hid behind their vapid smiles

she found him in the proud

confidence of arrogant men

and wondered where they got it from

she found him in the innocence of

simple, good, children

ad it broke her heart to wonder

how long it would last

in a world full of him

she found him in the faces of

frustrated women

and wondered if they would

ever get out of it

and no matter where she went

no matter how many skins she shed

she always found him within herself

ready to pounce and lay her low

the moment she let her guard down

No, they would probably not think
these were big enough problems