Scars Which Remain

Abhinav Patel

Innocence ripped
By a predator's grip,
In shadowed corners,
Or in plain sight,
Victims of a blight.

The pain deep inside
No place left for pride,
Raging rivers of shame,
Repeating the same,
Stories never to tame.

Trapped like a caged bird,
Voice unheard,
Tears that fall like rain
Again and again
Whispers that remain.

Broken promises, shattered dreams,
The unheard screams,
Of the girls who suffer and fall,
Victims of exploiters standing tall,
Feeding on their innocence like gall.

Betrayed by ones they trusted,
Children of the ones they lusted,
Lost in a world that doesn't care,
Scarred for life, an unanswered prayer,
Living in fear, a nightmare.

The pain can't be undo,
Searing pain that feels brand new,
Actions echoing through time
A trauma so deafeningly loud it's like chimes,
A life lived not knowing sublime.

But to all those who have suffered,
Hear my pleas, don't be deterred.
For although the scars might last,
Shatter mirrors of the past,
Your survival is a testament to strength unsurpassed.

She drags herself through each long night,
A prisoner of shame, can't take the light,
Her dreams shattered, her trust, and hope,
All lost to men and society's dope.

She walks alone down city streets
Her fear a constant beat
As hands reach out to grab her
She learns to mistrust and murmur

The leers of men, the catcalls too
All things she's learned to misconstrue
For in this world of pain and fear
Her body is not hers to steer

She must navigate constant threats
And the notion that she owes something to all men she meets
The power they hold over her
A constant threat that will never defer

In the workplace, her body's on display
A flirtation that she must silently obey
Her silence is demanded from on high
As she attempts to maintain a professional disguise

Her worth, it seems is only in her curves
And any attempt towards power, she truly unnerves
So she bites back tears, and screams aloud at night
As she struggles to maintain her right

Then war comes, and with it horror
As bodies degrade and the world crumbles further
She fights for her life, but also her soul
To keep her dignity as bullets rain and bombs roll

She endures torture and degradation
As men use her body for their salvation
She holds on to the small glimmers of hope
That someday she'll break free of this chokehold rope

And though it's hard, she still believes
In a future where justice greets survivors with ease
Where their bodies are respected, and power relinquished
And they're no longer forever forced to be at the mercy of those who've
relinquished

So if you're reading this, please take a stand
Fight against this violence, like boulders in the sand
Together we can create a world that respects women's rights
Where each survivor can hold her head up high and spread her wings to
take flight.

I hear the stories of shattered souls
Of women victimized, exploited, and controlled
By those who seek only to destroy
To take what they want, without care or joy

I hear the cries of those in pain,
Their tears like acid, searing stains,
The wounds too deep to bear or feign,
The hurt they'll carry till life wanes.

I hear the stories whispered through the night
How they held them down, and took what was theirs.
Their innocence, their freedom, lost to might
With bloody fists and violent, sordid stares.

A life once pure, now forever changed,
By hands that took what wasn't theirs,
The scars left burning, like a flame,
On souls once bright, now full of tears.

The story is not new nor strange,
Women violated by men's games,
In homes or streets, it's all the same,
Violence knows no bounds nor names.

For some, it's husband, father or sons,
Those who were meant to be their shields,
In secret places, alone or among,
They tear off trust, and shatter dreams.

But not just there, it's everywhere,
In offices, schools, parties too,
Men in power who do not care,
To them, it's only pleasure, that's true.

And then, there are wars and conflicts,
Where women bear more than the guns,
Raped by enemies or their own kin,
The trauma, hard to undo or stun.

Their days are haunted by unspeakable fear
A paralyzing constant in every breath
Memories that colour each waking tear
How they long for sleep and escape from death.

An unwanted touch, a degrading word
A look that lingers too long on tender flesh
A world where they're mere objects to be heard
And hopes of rescue are just another mesh.

Exploitation lingers long after,
Leaves in its wake, a life in tatters,
The loss of confidence and laughter,
Hollow souls with closed-off rafters.

In dark alleys and quiet streets
They lurk and wait for their prey to meet
Their hands rough, their eyes filled with lust
They show no mercy, no sense of just

But not all who suffer at the hands of men
Are accosted in the shadows, nowhere near a den
Some face trauma from those they know
From family members who don't let them go

A young girl forced to stay with kin
Who abuse and rape her, and blackmail her within
Threatening harm to her loved ones if she speaks
Forcing her to hide her pain and keep her defeat

Others face exploitation in daylight
At work, they're told they're inferior, everything not quite right
And so they must kneel and submit
Saying yes when inside they beg to quit

Cornered in elevators, summoned to private rooms
Told that their value lies solely in their sexual plumes
Made to feel less than, small and weak
Treated with disrespect and forced to act meek

Such trauma leaves scars, both physical and mental
It's never forgotten, leaving them feeling just rental
As if their bodies don't belong to them;
But to those who abuse, use, and never condemn

In sticky silence, she weeps alone,
Her heart shattered, her soul unknown,
Beneath the shadows, she's drenched in fear,
Forced to suffer in a world so drear.

How can she speak? How can she tell?
Of the pain inside, the endless hell?
No one believes, no one hears,
Only dismissal, only jeers.

Her life began as a canvas so clean,
Filled with promise and hope, all unseen,
Small hands reaching for what could be,
With eyes full of wonder and soul so free.

But fate can be cruel in a world so cold,
Where predators lurk, so bold and bold,
And innocence is stolen without a care,
Like a thief in the night, with no love to spare.

From homes where trust was supposed to thrive,
To workspaces where power games thrive,
To the streets, that promised escape,
An unforgiving world with no mercy or grace.

Her body used, her soul ripped apart,
A victim of pain, so sharp like a dart,
Exploited, violated, and left to die,
With no way to escape, no goodbyes.

She screams in silence, unheard, unseen,
Her nightmares no more, never again.
How does one heal from such a tragedy?
A lifelong battle that's a constant emergency.

She is not alone, nor is she weak,
The strength of survival we must seek,
We must lift our broken sisters to shine,
For hope never dies, a light so divine.

In the silence of the night,
She remembers every slight,
Every touch, every word,
That left her feeling absurd.

She's a survivor of abuse,
And her story is not a ruse,
She's fought battles on her own,
In the darkness, all alone.

She was just a girl back then,
With no voice, no power, no zen,
Her abuser took what he pleased,
And left her feeling diseased.

Her innocence was ripped away,
And it haunts her to this day,
The memories are a constant pain,
That drives her nearly insane.

She's not alone in her plight,
Many others have lost their light,
Taken advantage of and used,
Their bodies beaten and bruised.

It happens in the workplace,
Where they're forced to save face,
Or on the street, in the night,
Where they struggle with all their might

She sits alone in the darkest of nights
Her world a blur, a maze of frights
Her mind consumed with endless pain
A heart shattered beyond all gain

A victim of lust and monstrous desire
Her spirit crushed under the fire
Of men who sought her body's pleasure
And left her soul without any measure

Their hands upon her like cruel beasts
Her body used as their secret feast
Their power over her commanding
To leave her with no voice or understanding

But she is not weak, this woman strong
Her spirit resilient, unbreakable lifelong
Though scars she may carry deep within
Her strength a testament to courage akin

She refuses to be defined by their crimes
Her spirit takes flight to healing chimes
Her voice now heard a powerful force
To change the world's deadly course

For every woman whose voice has been silenced
Let us stand with them, our hearts aligned
Against the monstrosity that tears us apart
We rise as one, a collective beating heart.

It's time to take a stand, to fight against this plague,
to never again turn a blind eye to the victims' rage
We must empathize, listen and learn,
And call out those who think it's okay to watch others burn.

For every victim, a warrior rises,
Taking back control of their bodies and believing in surprises
Hope springs anew with every survivor
A testament to the strength that they possess to thrive with vigor.

We know not the agony they bear
Cause the wounds they carry are hidden deep
Weighted emotions they cannot share
Feelings that never let them truly sleep.

And when you see them walking 'round
Remember not to judge, but lend an ear
For in silence much suffering is found
And the quiet ones could use you near.

So let us speak not with mere words
We must take a stand, make a shift
For how can we dream of freedom cohered
When half of our nation is broken and stiff?

Now is the time to draw the line

Speak up and out for what we believe
Love and acceptance, pure and fine
And put an end to all deceiving grieve.

No more excuses, no more hiding
It's time to take action, it's time to step up
The darkness cannot keep on residing
When enough people say, "That's enough."

For within each survivor stands
A person of strength and inspiring grace
Their scars merely tell of their journey's land
"And yet, I rise," they boast of their race.

So let us raise our voices high
And lift each other up to the light
Together, we'll break every lie
And make a safe and loving world ignite.