No Consent by Rhiannon Ward

Dark alleyways.

Cold, lonely nights.

Short skirts, low-cut tops.

She was asking for it.

He was asking for it.

No.

No-one asks for it.

It doesn’t always happen like this.

Boyfriends. Girlfriends.

Brothers. Sisters.

Family members.

People you should be able to trust.

Children, adults; no-one is safe.

They don’t understand the word ‘no’.

Taking advantage of naivety,

drunken states,

low self-confidence,

sometimes even sleep.

Too scared to speak out,

fear of not being believed.

Drowning in your own thoughts,

unable to trust anyone again.

Whatever they told you,

none of this was ever your fault.

 

Biography; Rhiannon Ward is currently studying Creative and Professional Writing and English Literature (BA Hons) at the University of Worcester. She discovered her passion for poetry when she was 11 and now uses it to convey emotion, focusing on previous experiences and issues of the world.