Quiet Defiance

Don’t Let the Bastards Grind You Down (nolite te bastardes carborundorum)

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

Eyes front
Don’t flinch

You demanded compliance
Yet, you were met with my quiet defiance

Not a word spoken — I always remained silent
For fear of what might transpire
Quiet still but even then—Your fists lit me on fire

Move faster
Don’t second guess
Your commanding presence
Today — you are nothing — evanescence


Ssh, be quiet
Don’t rock the boat
He will not hesitate to grab you by the throat

Tell me again they did their best
Tell me again they were just putting me to the test

Hear me now when I say 
You don’t want to know what happened to me every day