The girl is told that she is a bomb
at nine, or ten, or thirteen or when
men want to do what they want.
The girls is told that she is a bomb.
Her girl-bomb-body explosive, she makes the
men want to do what they want.
The girl is told that she is a bomb.
Her spark of existence will light the fuse,
set explosion in motion beyond their restraint.
The girl is told that she is a bomb
that makes men say things, makes men do things,
makes men do things to her.
The girls is told that she is a bomb.
They gave her this power so that the men can
do what they want without consequence.
The girl is told that she is a bomb,
so it’s just and right that she pays the price.
Look what she made them do!
The girl wishes that she was a bomb
whose eruption’s destruction for men too close,
men who touch, men who are rough.

The girl is told she is not that kind of bomb.

The girl is told that she is a bomb
and must disarm and use her charm
so no-one gets hurt.

Jacqui Malins

 

Jacqui Malins is a performance poet and artist. She has featured at events, including the Woodford Folk Festival. She released her first book, Cavorting with Time (Recent Work Press), in 2018. Jacqui co-founded Mother Tongue Multilingual Poetry in Canberra.

© 2019