your "not all men" is my "most men"

My body is the one place I am free to do whatever

I am free to decorate it how I choose

With tattoos, or jewelry, or the clothes I wear

I am free to renovate it because it is my home

And I have the option to nourish it and take care of it how I see fit

I have the primary say in what goes on with my body

So you have to understand my anger when men feel as though it belongs to them

Like I am an object

A toy for them to play with when they are bored

A doll for them to throw to the side when they are finished

My body is not a doll

I have the primary say in what goes on with my body

I am not just something to look at

Although I am beautiful

I am a brain for you to ask questions

I am a person for you to get to know

And I am a soul under all of my skin and bones

So why is it so hard for men to acknowledge who I am outside of their beds

You might be thinking “not all men”

Yeah, but most men these days only want a girl for a night

They only want her when she’s quiet

And does what she’s told to do

Not when she’s loud and obnoxious

Men don’t seem to want someone with a bigger voice than them

These men like a girl who doesn’t say no

These men like a girl who listens

These men like the body they are using more than they like the person inside

These men think us women are put on this earth for them

And that is why women like me are afraid to walk alone at night

We are afraid to get gas on the corner station by ourselves

We are afraid to walk the city streets at sunset

We are afraid to hike too deep into our favorite trails

We shouldn’t be afraid to live

Yet most men make it difficult to do so

I shouldn’t walk fast to my car when leaving the mall

I shouldn’t double and triple check my locks when home alone

I shouldn’t jump at the slightest sounds

Or have the constant idea that someone is watching me in the back of my head

I shouldn’t live in fear

I shouldn’t change my outfit because it’s too revealing and it says I’m “asking for it”

I shouldn’t have to watch my drinks at the bar

I shouldn’t have to use the buddy system when going to the bathroom

I shouldn’t have to place my key in between my knuckles, just in case

I shouldn’t have to share my location with five of my girlfriends when meeting a new guy

But I guess I have to remember that I am just an object to them

A toy for them to use when they are bored

A doll for them to throw to the side when they are finished

I know I am not a doll

But that doesn’t mean men understand they don’t have the right to my body whenever they want

Because your “not all men” is my most men