she saved the public words they wrote
hours after she said he made me uncomfortable
we do things in public here
don’t we?

she became villainous
asking for accountability
she waited patiently
for what would never come

now she takes pills
to prevent panic attacks
they take pills for pleasure
spread in secret places

the community where everyone is okay
still murders its own children
where men never mean it
and women must always believe them

B called her a close friend
now calls her nothing at all
A calls her neurotic
from a pedestal of privilege

she remembers B’s prophetic words
”when i've gone looking for enemies
i've certainly found them
but also created new ones"

the cost of her truth
was too high
she should have chosen
inexpensive silence

people told her she was strong
strong, and brave
too much, it turned out
picking a fight she never should have

she knows now
the truth about care
it has terms and conditions
and eligibility lists

july 17 approaches
she’ll celebrate in solitude
another summer day
an ending disguised as a beginning

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