These Girls
the first time a “me too”
was whispered as a
secret was on a bus
in middle school
that girl cringes at
every hashtag that
tears open old wounds
now
that girl
tries to erase herself
in the park after dark
just three yards away
from where that one
girl was stabbed
these girls
blend in with
all the other girls
their names trend for
awhile, in small town
cafeterias, in snippets
of newspaper clippings,
on filthy mall stall walls,
in comic sans font
on an AOL chatbox,
on everyone’s addicted
fingertips
these girls
are sacrificial victims
over and over again,
and the ego gods are never
pleased or appeased, the ones
invoking names for
change or smearing
them around for revenge,
or maliciously weaponizing
them, desecrating that
sacred first utterance
to gain personal popularity
damn them
these girls are painted
as liars, attention-
seekers, whiners,
filtered blasphemers, tainters
lumped in with statistics
that never applied to them
before a hellmouth
swallowed them
these girls refrain
from screaming,
from wanting
to damage
all electronic
devices
from feeling,
from dreaming
these girls want
the wringer
to release them
these girls want
their freedom
to keep silent back
That’s a wrap on another #NaPoWriMo! It’s been an awesome month for me writing wise. I’ve changed up some things about my process, tore through some personal barriers that were holding me back, got some rejections, got some acceptances, & wrote a new piece every day. (Sometimes more than one piece.) I’m taking a little time off this weekend to recharge.
It’s getting hot here so my body’s revolting against me. It’ll be the slow season for me so any work I do manage to accomplish will be treated as a personal miracle.
I’ve got some cool news. 🙂 I’m officially a member of the WolfPack Team over at Fevers of the Mind. I’m really excited about this after being a big fan of the work featured on there. It’s definitely an honor to be a part of such a cool group of writers.
I’ll be sure & post a personal update soon. There’s a lot going on & being so focused on writing has given me a good outlet for handling everything in life right now. It’s good to keep busy. For me it’s often better to rest. So that I will do, probably until Tuesday.
It’s been awesome reading all of your poetry this month too. I read a lot on WordPress, various online lit mags, & a few in print collections written by friends. See you all in October for #OctPoWriMo! (Don’t worry, I’ll still be writing poetry & sharing it here & will still be reading your work until then too. 🙂 )
Thistle Thoughts 
You aren’t slowly walking to April’s finish line … this is a powerful poem to end the month of your daily posts. I’ve enjoyed your writing. Congrats on the month’s accomplishment, and for becoming a member of the Wolfpack Team! I hope you enjoy your well-deserved rest 🙂
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Thanks so much, Dave! I appreciate you reading!
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🙏💙 I’m so happy for you with your achievements in writing this year. So many more people need to know your name. This poem is a gut-punch and a killer way to end NaPoWriMo.
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Thank you, Tre! 💗🙏
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You’re quite welcome!
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Well written
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Thank you
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You’re welcome!
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love it 👍💙
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Thanks for reading!
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And Jennifer’s going out with a spectacular bang! Really, it was great to find you this month and to read your poems. I find your poetic style interesting- haunting, with that quiet eeriness that slowly creeps up your spine without you realising and then it suddenly dawns upon you what the fuck just happened and you freak out (in a good way, of course. :D).
Kudos to you for that 30/30 score. And congratulations on your acceptances, rejections (because without them there are no acceptances), and on joining that Wolf Pack team!
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Thank you. That means a lot to me. I’m very happy to have found your blog too. Please keep writing!
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A searing finish. You have amazed me every day of April and Fevers of the Mind is such a sweet gig. Congratulations! 🙌
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Thanks, Sun! 💜
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Arwooooo! This all sounds very interesting. Love that you have been experimenting and finding new ways forward, all very fitting for the season! Hopefully the weather is kinder than anticipated and you can keep on writing.
Congratulations on everything, as others have said you need to spread your poetry far n wide so many more can discover “the Patino effect” 🥰
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I can only imagine what the Patino effect would entail. Haha 💙 I’m battling with the heat but winning right now I think. Good moments/bad moments. Thanks so much for all the love! 🙏♥️
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“These Girls” is powerful, Jennifer! I hope lots of young women (and men, too) read it.
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Thank you
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You convey the trauma in this poem so well! Awesome!
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