Day 6

November 30th – Day 6 of the 16 Days of Activism

It Runs in the Family
By Gri Saex

Cousin comes to visit

Catching an innocent child off guard

Seeking love and attention

A soft hand caressing a smile

Then approaching the small face

Appealing to playing a game

Stick out your tongue out, he says

And the unblemished young girl carries out/obeys

As his face gets closer to hers and gently sucks on her tongue

she freezes

A freeze that would take decades to defrost

In spellbound suspension you remain,

and it happened a few more times

when cousin stops by

you disassociate and wish cousin stays away

you pray

and your prayers are answered until

you are 16 years old and a friend

yanks your 80 lbs  body: flesh, bones, and mind

he sequesters it against your will

you plead and freeze

to avoid

the penetration of your form and your soul

you are not a child anymore

You fight with all your might

He wins,

More decades of deep freeze go by

And you survive in silence

part of you seems to die and is on red alert

at all times

A few other men would try as the years went by

Can they see my pain, my story?  When I have been silenced,

Why am I their target? My words (mouth) have being muted

They keep trying but I can run now,

and I did until I stopped

to confront me and them, I stopped running

And still it runs in the family, the silence and the shame.

It runs in the family, the courage and the brave

A survivor and a thriver no longer ashamed

Gri Saex is a human, child, mother, daughter, friend, activist, poet, lover, and artist. Gri moved to New York City after High School from the Dominican Republic. She has made Western Mass her home for the last 30+ years.  Gri loves studying and living in the present moment. She is grateful for all she is. She feels at home in Springfield where she currently resides and is involved in many community social justice advocacy groups.