Dressed for Success by Cassandra Dallett

 

 

I remember having my pussy grabbed 

coming from a party

my skirt was short

but my arms interlocked with friends

in a wall of merriment

he reached up and grabbed anyway

before we beat him with his own radio

this is for our daughters

 

who we send out to the concrete of The Mission

The Fruitvale The Financial District

the inner cities now suburbs

suburbs now ghettos

invisible from golden towers

silky white faces packed into the belly of The Town

when asked who was from here only one replied

all else transplants

what are we running from

 

the pussy grabbers are everywhere

80 percent of posts refer to anxiety

this Indigenous People’s day 

the hate so palpable

redder than red face red states

there are scary clown warnings on the news

the scariest clown of all threatens

on all channels zero

 

what a time to carry your pussy like an ax

to mother like a polar bear

in this endangered fall

come hurricane season

come storm of my eye

I come swinging baseball bat

a pussy bow at my neck

a knock-off

Gucci sweater to hide

my naked rage inside.