Woman

When they ask,

do not tremble,

or quiver

do not move quickly

go quietly, inch by inch

summon the devil

use heat

a slight smile

curl your fist

bare your teeth

howl

you are a wolf

do not remove the mask

moan, caress, spread your legs

scream yes, scream it louder,

let him slap, shake, choke, bend, flip, break,

**** you

let him disown, disregard, intimidate, drown

you

become soft, sink into the earth,

let the ringworms feed on your carcass

you are bones now

you are dust now

you are a ghost of what was

merely a home for energy mishandled

you are adjectives spat onto you

and never deserving of

the world waited billions of years for you to form

to bring all your nothingness into the world and

make it a touch more

whole

only to watch you become a flower wilted,

overwatered,

plucked fresh,

ripe,

raw,

and discarded.