we walk in sync
identic hips and matching strides
gamely we pound
city streets
fitness and Fitbit driven
we tramp not here
for your errant eyes
sliming down
our hips and thighs.
in this city
that is ours
as much as yours
we stride here
on a mission
that has naught
to do with you.
we lose track
as we walk and talk
of uncouth observations
we cannot count
suggestive comments
unsought invitations
yes, workout pants
hug our curves
bodacious and deliberate
displayed not
for your lewd
connotations.
we have trained
each in our own
crucibles
for gauntlet streets
darling daughter
braved
aggressive Argentine catcalls
I weathered
prison hallway
jump-suited eye-fucking.
we are conditioned
to turn deaf ear
hood blind eyes
under the barrage
of pervasive
verbal and visual
assault.
ask any woman
girl or crone
to recount
the herstory
of harassment.
she will fade of breath
before the first chapter
is recorded,
discomfited that any
might assume a postscript
#metoo rendered
in sepia ink
superfluous
these are our streets
Whisper and the Roar 