it is easier to
be one with
the crowd
& blend in
but i think twice,
the what if?
popping up,
each time
like a fish,
above the water.
because if i don’t echo
these words,
the culture continues
like a loop
& consciousness
is battered
i have heard
& seen enough
of these interactions
to know & feel
that girl’s pain
& internal questions
because she knows
about the pressure
because he will say
“she’s a prude”
& because his words & actions
define him & her
in this culture where the cheers
at the conferences
point to the idea
of who he “should” be
the point system
reminds me of a rock
being thrown into
water because it
stays & continues
even if it is underneath
the surface
&& some say it is gone,
that all has changed,
but we know it is a culture,
a culture which
permeates our skin,
pressed like a bruise,
& words on the surface
cannot erase its impact.
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