the broad

been addressed as

“broad” while sitting in

the park & “dame” while

on the train, wondering if

it was the f*****g 40’s,

thinking these men a pain,

found herself sitting in the

lobby when one turned to

her saying “b***h,” as if it

was just another word to him,

like it didn’t mean a thing &

while in the mini mart near

her neighborhood, a couple

teens saw her move saying

“chica” & when she passed

she heard “p***y” amidst other

words to describe her body,

then down her street those on

the corner who’ve known her

quite some time, referred to her

as “mami” & in the laundry

later that afternoon she gets

labeled “sexual chocolate,”

she gets addressed as “honey,”

“baby,” like she was right back

in a high school classroom,

she gets hit on while folding

her clothes, when propositioned

blatantly for sex by a man calling

her “shorty,” with all the

resistance in the world, she

makes it out on her own & back

down the street, with blood

burning a thousand flames inside,

with tightened, gritted teeth,

the next that comes into her path

presenting himself & saying “ho,”

gets a kick so hard, so strong

so fast in the groin, he hadn’t a

moment to say

“oh no.”