How To Be At Peace With The Phrase “boys will be boys”

turn the first ‘b’
to bitch
in the resting bitch face
you hope will protect you

add an ‘h’ to the ‘o’
to express your surprise
when it doesn’t work

‘wh’ goes before the ‘y’
which is the question
you will scream into the universe
of your mind
while your mouth remembers how to smile

the first ‘s’ is for silence
and the last ‘s’
is for survivor

between that is ‘will’
will you tell
will you always be afraid
will it always hurt

it eventually turns into
your will
to carry on

then there’s ‘be’
be angry
be scared
be patient with yourself
be kind to the part of you that is a victim
be nurturing to the part of you that is a warrior

then there’s the ‘boy’
this one is the toughest
because you may have to watch him
walk away free
no longer responsible
for leaving you
in chains

but remember
that’s how you make it to the last ‘s’
and in case you need reminding
that ‘s’
is for survivor