Leave It

if i have the opportunity

for just one question

at the inquisition

i would ask if

in your heart

you truly want to be

remembered for this

and if you said yes

i know in my soul

i would not believe it

and if i am blessed with

a second chance to inquire

i would beseech in earnest

if you want your children

to inherit the world you press

so obligated as

you are to defend

his tired labels

for your powerful sisters

his abject deflections

his hateful depictions

of what he sees

as if he was always

staring in a mirror

his fantasies

about unyielding women

whom he objectifies

with his locked-room banter

out of respect for you

i would forego exploring

why you embrace being

another of his projections

why you stand there

at the podium

propped like a

disposable possession

and if i am bestowed

by your forbearance

a final chance

to query about

the internal state

i would skip

any further questions

and only admonish you

out of a fool's hope

perhaps to hold fast

to your soul

the next time

he barks for you

to leave it