Sometimes I wander what it's like to be a dog,
You know constantly being stared at,
Strangers touching you,
Everyone talking about your body,
Constantly being the centre of attention,
Not being able to go for a walk,
Without people commenting on how cute you look,
And only now I realise,
It's kind of like being a 15 year old girl,
Being catcalled,
Becoming more of an object than a person,
Being their for someone's else pleasure,
Oh wait did I say 15 year old,
I meant 8 year old girl,
Because She was 8 the first time someone's unwanted hand had touched her body,
The first time someone stroked their hand down her leg as if She was more an animal than a person,
She was nine the first time she felt her body paralyse,
You don't need to know the rest,
But sometimes people can't help but stroke a dog even when it's sleeping or when it's on a walk,
Just like sometimes men can't help but try and follow me home on my way back from the shops,
But I'm not as fast as a dog,
I can't run from the men who stare at me,
I can't bite them,
I'm small and fragile and scared,
My arms and legs shake,
I remember everything my mum told me: "don't look them in the eye and NEVER stop to say hi,
Never get in a car with a man you don't know,
If someone's following you then RUN,
Carry your keys between your fingers and use them as a weapon,
In an emergency scream fire not rape because people are more bothered about damaged property then they are about what happens to a persons body"
And I pray that ur just going the same way and ur not going to hurt me,
Just like they hurt her and millions of other young girls who are able to say "me too"
