i was asking for it
when i let him hold my hand on the bus ride home,
the way Disney’s princesses hold the hands of their
Prince Charming.
i was asking for it
when i let him take me to the movies and pay for my ticket,
the way the older girls let their boyfriends on the weekend.
i was asking for it
when he invited me inside for a drink, and when i told him
“thank you, but i need to get going”, the way my momma told me to say it if i was ever uncomfortable.
i was asking for it
because they don’t teach you in sex ed what to do when a sweaty hand is on your thigh and hungry eyes on your hips.
i was asking for it becayse they said i was,
even though I cried the whole way home
even though I never rode the bus again
even though I asked for him to stop
please.
i was asking for it
because boys will be boys
until they are held accountable as men and
because silly girls are always asking for things
they didn’t know they wanted.