What the Hell is She Complaining About, a poem about the effects of rape by Janet Kuypers

What the Hell is She Complaining About

i cant go around telling people
about what you did to me
you see, nobody wants to hear it
and nobody wants to hear a girl whining
what the hells she complaining about anyway?
but you know, nobody knows
the effects of what youve done
nobody knows that I showered for weeks
no, months
to try to feel clean after you did that to me
nobody knows why i have
violent fits of rage
how Id hit the wall, rip up the plaster

you want to know what i think of men now?
you want to know their place in my life now?
you see, i didnt know what else to do
so i became the rapist
and now i let men do nice things for me
but i always keep them at a safe distance
i never let them get too close
because i dont care how nice you are
ill always keep you at arms length
i learned my lesson

so yeah, you had an effect on me
and i have to bottle it all up
because no one wants to hear the details
i mean, i wasnt physically injured
what the hell could i be complaining about anyway?

but you know, there are times
when i wish you left a mark,
like a bee sting or something,
so people could see a welt
from what you had done

wait, no, i take that back
id wish i was stung by a bee
and i was allergic to bees

because then my blood pressure would drop,
my pulse would get rapid,
id fall into anaphylactic shock
my skin would turn white
before I got the the hospital
as they tried to keep me alive

all because of a bee sting

while everyone else is thinking,
a bee sting,
what the hell is she complaining about