Stay Safe! by Tia Pliskow

Ladies beware!

Cries the post on the Nextdoor app

And just as I was starting to buy into the illusion

Of safety and enshrouded my fear.

I cannot walk downtown alone at night —

Or at any time of the day, really

Concerned with the rustling behind me

Is it cat or human

I can fight off the claws, but not the arms.

Stay safe!

Says the girl I went to high school with (on Facebook)

I cannot shop alone after sunset

Unless I park beneath a shockingly bright light 

And strangle my car keys between my fingers.

Share your location when you go out!

Says that video on TikTok

I cannot drive without air conditioning

Because with the window rolled down, I am vulnerable.

Don’t walk alone!

Echoes through my mind

Unfairly treating my

Teenage sons as bodyguards

As they learn what women fear

As they provide the delusion of safety.