Reclaim the Streets
For Sarah.
Who made the streets the way they are,
lit, de-littered, guttered, de-rutted, tarred?
Motorists and macadam, shovel wielding
navvies? Contraptions stealing the earth.
——-
Now, we walk, we talk and balk at the noise,
of the traffic, black gleaming lanes and kerbs
giving grace to a flow of varied vehicles on
their way to a destiny that others have made.
—–
Yet, in the midst of through and thorough fares,
walk women of the newest times, grimy years
of tears under male domination, correcting our
mothers, sisters, aunties, girls and grannies;
——-
they walk those streets in fear and trembling;
as I did when a car stopped at the kerb and
then as I ran, he followed, nipped around and
was in my face, til the empty roads and alleys
——-
became a labyrinth and my pursuer like a wild
animal stalking his prey, blocked my exits, he
terrifies me still. Running, hiding, crying, and
shouting, finding an all nighter, shrinking back
——-
to hide from his leering, ogling face and grim
tactics bent on what? I’ll not know. Luckily I
was not a police case, a race, a killer to trace,
learned to avoid the chase, spray the mace. Be
————–
aware of preyers. Take care! Go out in pairs!
Male friend to walk you home? Or starve, take a
taxi but they ruined that too. Have a pepper
spray. A mobile phone but they keep their own
——-
beastly distance as they cruelly chant, they
swore, called us whores and aimed at our
cores where we kowtow to a male society, that
never passes any laws, do the police even try
——–
to work for our cause, show them the iron doors,
close their jaws, and quieten their roars, for men
foment, they plot and plan, cos they can. Yet,
Sarah died and so did our right to peaceful
—-
protest?
—
Together with the true males we’ll take a stand
turning to one another, and all those precious
names will not die in vain, cos you and I will
kindle a flame, tame the male wilderness,
reclaim the streets, let justice be the pavement
and respect
be the
attitude.