Spoken Word: Dear, Rapist

Dear rapist,
You are not a rapist
A rapist is a faceless,
nameless,
creature of the night.
Who haunts us in our sleep,
Out of our sight;
Snatching us from safety and protection
A disconnection between a beast and natural selection
Who does nothing but feast on societal misdirection

But you are not a rapist.
It is not your fault.

That girl at the party was asking for it.
Her skirt was short.
She drank too much.
She flirted all night.
She was begging to be taken,
Seized,
And violated.
It was out of your control.
Parts of your soul were dismembered in a dismal hole
Your desire burning like bituminous coal
You were overcome by passion,
Necessity,
And lust.
There were forces larger than you at play.
Your judgment eroded like rust.
She wanted it.
She asked for it.
If you didn’t do it, surely someone else would.
And you would do it again if you could.

You are not a rapist.

She was your girlfriend.
Your property.
You owned her.
You did not rape her.
It does not matter that she pleaded,
“No,
Stop it.
Please don’t.”
She does not own her body.
You do.
You did what boyfriends are supposed to do.
She did what girlfriends are supposed to do.

You are not a rapist.

He didn’t speak up.
If he wanted you to stop,
He would have said something.
He would have done something.
He liked it.
He needed it.
It does not matter that he was only six years old,
Too afraid to tell someone.
Too small and lost in this cold,
Twisted
World.
It was his fault.
Not yours.

Dear survivor,

Society protects the rapist.
Every 2 minutes, an American is sexually assaulted
But 60% of assaults will go by unsaid
And 97% of rapists will never see a jail’s bed

Society tells you you’re a whore
Who cannot soar past the hate that we perpetuate
Unable to escape a culture that protects rape

Telling survivors it is YOUR fault, not his.
Numbers don’t matter.
Feelings you encumber don’t matter.
You don’t matter.

Each member of society holds hands,
Creating a merciless circle that
Entraps the survivors
Entombing them in darkness
Suffocating them til they can’t breathe
No one can hear your screams now
Nothing but extreme regimes making you fall apart at the seams
Stop blaming him or her, YOU did this
Not our parents, aunts, uncles,
Cousins, friends, acquaintances,
Or significant others.
YOU.

Because your rapist isn’t a rapist.