Who Needs to be Blamed?

by Neelima Sankar

He followed me,

because he thought my 'no' meant 'yes'.

He touched me,

because he thought my consent didn't matter!

He judged me when surrounded by my boyfriends,

because he thought it meant that I was available!

He stared at me, while I was wearing shorts,

because he thought the length of my dress decided my character!

Image credit: Canva

To me,

He was not a predator,

But a victim of patriarchy.

He was taught to be a toxic masculine,

But not a human!

Who needs to be blamed?

Is it me? Is it him? Or the toxic norms of our society?

***

Neelima Sankar

Her name is Neelima Sankar, she is a poet, short-story writer, storyteller, and a law student. She is a co-author of 13 books. She was born in Kerala and brought up in different parts of North India. She started writing to let her thoughts out on paper, although later she started experimenting with almost all genres. Her most recent book is "Let's Talk Taboo", she is the compiler and cover art & designer of the book.