I’m No Longer Interested in Preserving a Man’s Honor​

Issue 15

How do you write about a crime committed?
How do you write about a crime committed with your own body?
Some days I feel like a piece of evidence collecting dust,
in an unmarked box in the back of a precinct,
lights flickering,
water stains on the ceiling to reflect the coffee stains on the floor.
I sometimes wonder if I should have pressed charges,
if I should have filed a police report,
but I've never had much faith in the justice system.
What justice would be brought to a situation
where the man claims it was consensual?
In our world, a man whispering a lie is more likely to be believed
than a woman screaming the truth.
Too bad I'll scream anyway.
Writing about it,
being vulnerable enough to share my work on the internet,
is me screaming about it.
He doesn't want the world to know what he did,
does not want me telling you all the truth.
It would destroy the image he has of himself, his so-called honor.
Well that's too bad.
I've never considered the feelings of any man who's done me wrong,
and I'm not about to start now.
How do you write about a crime committed?
Like this.

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HOLLY AMBER WEBB is the author of two self-published poetry books titled Am I the Villain? and From the River to the Sea: Poetry for a Free Palestine. Her poetry has been featured in Permanent Answer Poetry Society’s online 2025 magazine, and Starcrossed Anthology: Volume One, a collection published in 2023.

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