Fun Night

It’s supposed to be a fun night

Dancing with friends

Hitting on strangers

Having a little too much to drink

Wearing a skimpy dress that showed off just enough of your thighs to make the guys go crazy

It’s supposed to be a fun night

Until your friends go off to get some drinks and leave you alone

And you’re dancing with some strangers

And you go to take a drink

And suddenly you forget how to stand

It’s supposed to be a fun night

You mumble as you wake up in a room unfamiliar

With a man in between that skimpy dress you once thought was a little too long

And you’re too drugged to do anything but breathe and wait for it to be over

And when it is, you get thrown out on the street alone and terrified

It’s supposed to be a fun night

You think as you walk home ignoring all the calls from your friends

Searching for landmarks that guide the way

But when you get there everything still feels the same

And you wish you just stayed here so this feeling of rot in your chest and in between your legs would disappear

It’s supposed to be a fun night

You weep as you shower in that dress that now feels miles too short

Not wanting to take it off because you can’t stand the thought of being bare even in your own presence

But wishing you could burn it and cover yourself in as many layers as possible

Maybe then you could sweat the fear and the sadness and the anger and the shame all away

It was supposed to be a fun night

Reviews

[Phill Oz O'fee]

There is a culture of victim-blaming in a society that teaches girls not to get raped, rather than teaching boys not to rape. Your free verse highlights the trauma, poignancy, victimisation and tragedy of this 'crime'! The rare imagery and word play help to bring home to the reader the full horror of this so called 'fun night'! Bless you ... :-)

[Ren]

Thank you so much :)

[Donna]

This is why its so important to have good friends to look out for each other, but still its horrible for something like that to happen. Nicely written.