Entitlement, by Rhiannon Ward

How is it fair
that people feel so entitled
to another body
to having sex
that now we do not feel safe
walking down the street
in our own neighbourhood
in case someone follows us
in case we are attacked
where did this entitlement
stem from in our society
now we feel unable to wear
what we want
in case something happens
and they blame us
for what we were wearing
entitlement has led to a fear
that victims will be blamed
they do not speak out
entitlement continues
to win the upper hand.

Rhiannon Ward is a recent graduate in Creative and Professional Writing and English Literature from the University of Worcester.  To read more poetry you can visit; https://daisysinsights.wordpress.com/

Assumptions, by Rhiannon Ward

Last night
I stood
on the corner
a scared girl
of the man
walking up
to me
assuming
he would
hurt me
in some way
when he
could have
been perfectly
innocent in his
intentions
but this culture
taught me to
fear strangers
especially as a
young girl
in a revealing
dress which
suggests I
would have
asked for it
if he did
hurt me.

..

Rhiannon Ward is a recent graduate in Creative and Professional Writing and English Literature from the University of Worcester. She started writing poetry age 11 and now uses it to raise awareness and convey emotion to readers. There is a special focus on mental health within her poetry. To read more you can visit; https://daisysinsights.wordpress.com/

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.