Unheard

Unheard

by Dylan Rush

It’s been so many years

Still she sheds so many tears

“It’ll get better with time”

But as years go by

She's starting to find that’s a lie

She longed to speak out - really she did

But as jury’s conspire about, she sunk and she hid

She wanted to tell

Of the horrors and sin,

The pain and the suffering

That she had bared within

She screamed and she screamed

Though seemed she not made a sound,

Can’t call a man out

For the world won’t go round

See the men are the men

That’s how it’s arranged

But oh how she's longed for some progress and change

The neighbors and press

The cops and the rest

Nobody believed her

But the polygraph test

She never was heard, she just wanted a say

She prays the women of tomorrow never feel this same way.

She knows she is strong

And that she is brave

Though she wonders when people will learn,

That rape is not okay.

Once I learned that we'd be tasked with this final project, my mind immediately went to poetry. As a boy I loved to write poetry, though it had been years since the last time I had written one. I wanted to write a poem that aligns with the course theme with sexual assault, though I would like to clarify that I in no way intended to insinuate that I can understand the horrific experiences of rape victims, and I hope to have not offended anybody in writing this. I simply wanted to produce a powerful piece of writing, one that resonates with readers - but also brings light and awareness to the glaring issue of sexual assault in the United States throughout the course's given time period. My poem is written from a victim of sexual assault's point of view, depicting her experience over time. It tells the story of a woman who was assaulted long ago and kept it to herself, as women could lose their job, their reputation, and more for accusing a man of prominence. This is still common today - women choosing not to file a police report or press charges when assaulted, and it happens for many reasons. Many victims feel shame, and sometimes (wrongfully) blame themselves. In some cases women do not have the necessary funds to go forward with legal action, or may fear going forward with a case for a number of different reasons. I wanted readers to think about and understand that so many women feel unheard, and it is our duty as a society to try to fix this issue day by day. I end the poem with the statement, "Though I wonder when people will learn, that rape is not okay." I did this to get people thinking, as it is quite obvious that rape is not okay to the majority of us, but this is seemingly not so clear to many men throughout our country, and that is a serious issue.