A Poem for Daisy Coleman

In honor of the tattoo artist, and advocate for victims of sexual assault.

I cried my way through your trauma;

I could relate, but did not have your breadth of bravery

— something we all could learn from you —

Even now, we should all know how to direct blame

How to accurately deflect those who shame

How to protect each other;

Because I know I am not singular in being Daisy in a different story setting.

And I know there were “me’s” and “she’s” amongst the slut shamers;

Unwilling to be on the right side of morality,

Because in ‘a man’s world’,

The majority of girls are taught to question their own autonomy,

So speaking out seems to single you out as an anomaly

All because patriarchy is a smokescreen and popularity is a blindfold.

Pity the girls who will live their lives bound by one or the other;

Never fighting for the justice of their sisters

— or even their own, wounded, secret-sacrificed selves.

She may be gone; she may be at peace,

But I refuse to let those dogs lie;

Their heartless thoughts may centre on this convenience for their livelihoods and legacies;

But I think this should work as our favour against them;

Our favour and fight in the name of this fallen angel warrior-

May their names never cease to cast dark shadows on the days of offenders;

May their immorality mark them with scar tissue to the tune of malignant tumours;

Not in sour taste or bad grace —

But because they played God like the gutless;

Because they used their power just to play;

Because they decided to make themselves predators;

And steal innocence by labelling it ‘prey’.

No mercy should be granted here,

No circle of hell will suffice their sins,

There is no fallen angel capable of sufficient punishment-

Men so evil it would be merciful to kill.

We do not seek revenge; we are past that point of meaning.

We seek change in her name;

We seek Daisy-chains and may they be prevalent enough to burn the guilty through their own inferno.

Locked inside their heads;

A special circle of hell;

One that never ends-

As long as we remember.

And we,

Women,

We will never forget.

Daisy Coleman:

You fought the least fair of fights.

We will carry on with fire and ferocity;

You deserve nothing but this plight.

Rest in Peace,

We have the rest:

Thanks to you we will show such weak men

That collectively we are warriors, too.

The lioness is the hunter of the pride,

Your prejudice, your guilt, your arrogance:

We are the greatest hunters of stealth and pain.

Shamers and sinners- it’s time to pick a side.

For more content, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.