In the dim-lit night, by the market’s glow,
Guarding bikes in pajamas I stood,
Alone, I felt the first touch of a gendered blow.
In that moment, the world turned daunting.
The car, a wounded beast, its taped-up windows askew,
A man within, his eyes like daggers, cold,
He hurled insults, my gender he'd construe,
My heart raced, my innocence was sold.
I sought refuge within the store's embrace,
A friend, male, nonchalant, dismissed my dread,
"Don't worry," he said, a casual grace,
But my fear, like poison, still seeped and spread.
In a world where boys roam without a care,
I, a girl, was burdened with dark unease,
He ate his sandwich, unaware,
Of the trembling heart beneath my sleeves.
"If you're kidnapped, who'd shoulder the blame?"
His callous words inflamed my ire,
No longer would I play in this dangerous game,
Our friendship now fuel for a funeral pyre.
Catcalls and jeers, a ceaseless parade,
A woman's plight, a gendered fight,
In pajamas, or finely arrayed,
Society's norms, ever out of sight.
Yet, amidst the chaos, one truth I gleaned,
Knowledge of these "rules" can light the way,
In job hunts, in kitchens, life's hurdles we've weaned,
Preparedness and learning hold darkness at bay.
So, the first time I felt the weight of my name,
A gendered moment, fierce and stark,
It carved in me a path, not the same,
I'll navigate this world, leave my own mark.
