The Eightieth Trimester Poem by David Welch

Huxley was in his nineteenth year,
a freshman at a fancy school,
the kind with excesses of ivy,
who claimed they accepted no fools.

The academics were no task,
he'd always excelled with his mind,
but finding like souls to fit in with
was giving him a much harder time.

There were so many different clubs,
but not with his ideals did match,
and he did not have the desire
to start one of his own from scratch.

So he backed off from fitting in,
decided just to find a date,
start off small scale, go find a girl,
a connection to start his way.

And after a few misfires
he hooked up with a sophomore named Jan,
she practically lived in his room,
they even made some short-term plans.

They were very sweet together,
kept things mostly pleasant and light,
Hux thought if this was how things went
he would enjoy his adult life.

And knowing Jan opened up circle,
soon Hux had more than enough friends,
four months in he was thinking long-term,
dreamed what they had would never end.

Then one day she asked him to come
to the ‘Women's Causes Committee, '
it was important to his Jan,
so he figured he'd have a look-see.

At first it was just standard stuff,
normal ‘enpowerment' boiler plate,
then one mentioned a coming speaker
and out came big snarls of hate.

"He hates women, ""He thinks we're slaves, "
by his mention their anger was peaked.
He said, "Well, all don't have to agree,
but the man does have a right to speak."

Then his Jan turned with searing eyes,
"What the hell is wrong inside you?
This man's a fascist, he does not
even support the right to choose!

"Every women here is in danger
if this man can preach his ‘hate' words,
some even say he refers to choice
by the cruel term ‘Baby Murder! '"

Eight angry girls staring at him,
most men would back down to get laid,
but they didn't know his history,
he was determined to have his say.

"Words…they cannot injure you
in any form bodily,
and if you want any sort of life
other ideas you will have to see.

"And as for hating pro-life folks,
please stop and take this in account,
I was born a child of rape,
and could easily not be here now!

"Had my mother not taken pity
and chosen back then to desist,
I would not be here right now, so
please tell me why I shouldn't exist? "

There was silence, then his girlfriend
Said, "You mom was raped and kept the child?
What kind of women would keep
the offspring when defiled? ! "

Hux said, "My mother realized
that I was a being apart,
but if you're all sure I'm a mistake,
then please, come stab me in the heart."

To ensure that he drove home his point
he then pulled out his pocket knife,
said, "Back then nobody wanted me,
so by your logic, end my life.

"If my existence is conditioned
on some woman wanting me,
if my dad's actions determines all
Then there is no reason to flee.

"Come take the knife and do the deed,
live up to all of your big words:
eightieth trimester abortion,
don't think of it as murder! "

Not a one of the women moved,
they just glared with venomous eyes,
his girlfriend sneered, "I can't believe
I've been with a fascist all this time."

Hux said, "Jan, you don't have to fear,
just knowing you might kill our kid
makes me like you a whole lot less,
and wonder how I ever did.

"I cannot be with a girl who
would murder her daughter or son,
go find yourself a whipped soy-boy,
'cause you and I are forever done."

He stormed out, paying no heed to
the girls as they cursed and sniped,
Hux may have wanted to belong,
but it wasn't worth that evil tripe.

But those girls were quite vindictive,
bad-mouthed him on campus as ‘Nazi, '
even scorned him in the school paper
knowing they'd get away scott-free.

But Hux was not the scaring type,
he gave it back as good as he got,
even jumped by two protestors
their jaws he quickly did clock.

He supposed now that adult life
wasn't the waltz he once thought it,
it made sense now, his step-father's words,
on how a man needed some grit.

Later on, in his sophomore year,
he was still seen as an enemy,
until one day a strange thing occurred,
something which he didn't foresee.

He was eating lunch one fall noon
when a young brunette did approach,
he recognized her from that day,
she said, "Please, just a minute, don't go.

"I know you probably don't like me,
harsh things were said last time we met,
but I though much of your story,
how easily you could be dead…

"Maybe you were over-the-top,
but maybe your needed to be,
either way, you made me realize
how easily it could've been me.

"I guess I just felt my desires,
never look much at the other side.
Thought you wanted to control women,
not save a soul slated to die.

"I'm not sure what to believe these days,
there's much I have to rethink,
But anyway, I was wondering
would you want to go get a drink? "

Hux was more than a bit surprised,
but heard the weight deep in her voice,
knowing that coming here today
could not have been an easy choice.

That she would dare to question so
left him quite deeply impressed,
slow progress, but progress the same,
he could do nothing but say "yes."