Please don’t hurt me: a short poem for Todd Akin #p2 #njpoet

A toxic cloud, a phantom, assaulting—please
don’t—as she lay in my arms—sleeping—

it has her—why won’t you
stop? As she twitches.

As she yells out. Unconscious. Please!
Stop! Please don’t hurt me!—as I clutch her,

as I whisper: No one will hurt you.
Not while I’m here.

But I’m wrong. Because she can’t
hear me, and I know it.

She just kicks. She just begs. She just cries
out from nightmares, again and again:

Please don’t hurt me! And there’s
nothing I can do to stop it.

Her rapist is always here.

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Charles Bivona