Falsely Accused Poem by Jessie Stowers

"pardon me can I speak to you in private?
my body is functioning the way it was meant to,
can you excuse me so no one laughs? "
It's one of the things every girl goes through.

We walk quickly, careful of each step
One wrong move and everyone might know
That you are a normal human being.
We shouldn't be ashamed that our bodies flow.

God forbid a woman speaks in public
of how she's on her period. Again
Ew that word - "PERIOD" - makes everyone uncomfortable
Words spoken only by boys and men.

Female bodies bleed and our insides churn
It's what they're meant to do
STOP staring when a girl speaks too loud
It's not a crime but we have to feel like that's not true.

We feel embarrassed to exist at all when
On our days of the days of the month, we
Feel excluded and beat down for perfectly fitting in
We are trained on certain days female is the worst thing to be.

- Jessie Stowers - 15 -