Child Sexual Abuse

Two words that fall on your ears and roll off, never really seeping in.
Shunned, abandoned, and yet half of the people in my country have them tucked into the insides of their being.
This one is for them.

When you can’t shrug off a parasite, you begin to nurture it.
Do not nurture guilt.
When he took you down to the car and said that this was a game only meant for the two of you, you were too young to know it wasn’t.
When she toyed with you and asked if you could keep a secret, you were eager to show that you could be trusted.
The affection you felt because they made you feel special rots inside your stomach.
But your only fault is believing that it was your fault.
Your arms will never be too small to hug and forgive
Wrap them around yourself.
The monster you thought you’ve locked into the closet all these years wasn’t yours to hide.
It’s alive. The monster lives inside them.
Every time they look you in the eye and talk like nothing ever happened,
It peels off the shiver down your spine and feeds on the goosebumps on your skin.
Stop nurturing that monster. You are stronger than it is.
Slay it before it takes on another child.

Let them know that you remember.
And that getting away with it
Won’t be an option this time.