Rare is Witness

Separate the man from his art

Words spoken from a privileged seat

Another othering soulless saint

Pulling a train on our culture

Abuse is pandering empathy to predators

Grooming thoughts projecting

Told this anger only alienates

Reductive words to assuage Your discomfort

For within sacred rage is consciousness

And the power to liberate Self

Ending this tyranny of silence

Prepares the way

For truths erupting in justice

Against agency, only given to please

To glorify gives permission

Trafficking our children to submission

Have you chosen a seat?

Your silence only obviates

Voyeurs salting the wounds

To gaslight our defensive blade

Consent cannot be taken

Not at 3, nor 25

Could one so blithely respond

Told to stay silent while they come

When they call you filthy

As they lacerate you wider

Scarring our every hole

And yet victim is questioned—Why?

Commanded to control ourselves

For his lack of restraint

Culturing avoidance, denies insight

Pressurized vacuum to devalue the experience

Stroking themselves to new heights

While streaming their back catalogue

Lining coffers to excess with clicks

Easing entry into a new generation

What does it take to draw the line?

Penetrating yours, after mine?

Or shall we continue asking survivor

To pay the predator’s price

Insulated with validation of immaterial

To shelter from the truth

Too busy curating fame to witness pain

Purchasing incessant scrolling instead

Hashtagging shallow support

Performative gestures of guilt

An audience demanding empathy

When inaction speaks of none

Tell again, how I asked for this

As you coddle his entitlement

Insisting accountability from survivor

Hell called the blinders to our cultivation

Abuse wrapped in many forms, but the same

Includes denial, minimization and blame

Dare you to seek your own counseling

To witness Your behaviors

Sowing understanding of action

Does not excuse them

Glorifying predatory machinations

Merely red carpets their progress

Says—keep it up Good ‘ol boys!

She’ll get over it eventually

Stop deferring blame and assuming sane

Rare is witness to OUR problem

Invitation prepped for ignition

Do you listen with your heart?