I wrote this poem in May of 2025.

I punish the men in my life with silence
I learned it from my mom
sheβd last days without saying a word to my dad
after a fight
always waited until he broke down and apologized
she always needed to win
and while Iβm not as brutal as her
I need to protect myself when a man makes me feel
like Iβm not good enough, like Iβm a monster
so I walk away calm and give a silence so deafening
theyβre ask a million questions why
theyβll search answers in between the lines
of the posts I write
and if theyβre smart enough and get the hint,
theyβll stay away from me














