Dr. Dena Simmons, New York City, USA, Blog Correspondent
By the time I arrive to my apartment,
I am already undressed,
my clothes,
scattered along Metropolitan Avenue.
The man in the brown business suit,
standing in front of Step-In Lounge starts
with my rubber rain boots,
one
by
one,
until another man cuts him off,
ripping my pants from my body
when he jerks off
at the sight of my thighs.
Right by Uno’s Bar and Grill,
another man peels off my shirt
with his “Take my number.”
In only panties and a bra now, I walk in the rain.
Before I know it,
a gang of teenage boys hiss at me,
leaving me
naked.
I look back at the trail my clothes have created
at each objectifying comment, and
like Hanzel and Gretel,
who used white pebbles to lead them home,
I hurry to gather my clothes,
searching for my dignity
along
the
way.
Dr. Dena Simmons serves as the Associate Director of Education and Training at Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. She is a recent graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, where her research focused on teacher preparedness to address bullying in the middle school setting.
