Me Too

Me too
I quit the waitressing job
When my boss told me
His wife was out of town so,
You know
We could…
And even though sometimes
I had to beg my father
To send me the child support money
So I could pay my rent
I was able to walk out
That pizza parlor door
And never look back

You too
Have been there
But maybe he chased after you
Pulled you back
And never stopped

And maybe it no longer defines you
And maybe it does
But this culture
Still makes this our fucking problem
The language
Passive
To gaslight and shame us
Instead of naming them.
The violence of Men
Told by this culture
To be a Man
Means take
Take
Take
It all
At all costs

And to be a Woman
Means small
Small
Small
At all costs
So maybe he won’t see you there

And to be black?
Queer?
Trans?
Even more
And even less

And so much is lost
Humanity
Destroying humanity
Hearts
Cutting out hearts
Sons and daughters
Both brought to the slaughter
On this altar
To a god of unceasing hunger
This churning wheel
Of silence and anger

The unrelenting drum beat
Hurt
Another
And another
And another

This rack pulls us away
From each other
Stretches us away from our hearts
Until we cannot recognize the soul.
But we cannot take enough
From another
To get back
The humanity we have lost

Only the truth unlocks what we have bound
Raw messy and loud loud loud

Until our chains fall away
And each one of us cries out

Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too
Me too