All they care about
is how she can please them.
All they see is the swell of her chest,
the sway of her hips.
All they imagine is her beneath them,
never beside them.
Her body learned by heart,
her mind left untouched.

So she learns the rules early:
kindness is interest,
rudeness is arrogance,
silence is ignorance.
There is no safe language.

Perhaps violence is.
Perhaps sharpness is the only boundary respected.

So she stays away.
Watchful. Intact.
Better to be alone and waiting
than to be chosen
and consumed.