new poem: (tw:harassment)

i wish for brighter streetlights

 perhaps, tonight will not end 

the same as that time my shins got bruised. 

the keys in my hands are projected. 

the blurry homes are dark, as if they know 

i am asking for better streetlights. 

the moon is directly ahead, full and bright 

like a child trying hard not to let you down. 

cars parked evenly. 

my fear spills over 

the double yellow lines, i’m sure i’ll be ticketed 

for this act of vulnerability. 

a cars’ headlights 

come towards me, too fast 

to make out who is behind the wheel

and what their intentions are. 

no license plates.

 the off licence pulls down 

their shutters as if to say i don’t want any 

part of this, as if to say you are all on your own. 

maybe it was the moon that made me stop, 

pressuring me to catch her. 

maybe they’ll say my skirt was too tight,

stopping my legs from moving

fast enough. 

safety is around the corner, my left,

it is a one-way road so this car 

must get a fine for following me, right? 

the police take driving violations 

seriously i think, if only someone would be awake to see.