Fatherless Behavior

“Fatherless behavior,” 

A common comment amongst so-called “saviors”

Trying to warn the young women and fems of their fate

Should they continue to make “mistakes.” 

I don’t mind the comment, though. 

Not since the sayers of it are the ones who overturned Roe,

Not when I first saw pain so long ago. 

I don’t mind the comment because I so clearly know

That it must be the man who is at fault 

When I was nagged, neglected, or locked into a vault,

For what could I have possibly done 

To deserve all that before I could run? 

What could I possibly do 

To stop these harmful laws from going through?

How hard is it to get 

That we are not just “upset”? 

We are praying that you live your lives in regret

Because you have awoken new anger in us 

And this world is in our emotional debt. 

I considered calling my father to ask if he had voted.

I wanted to ask if any piece of him left was devoted

To me or my safety, but I fear I would have exploded

On that phone call, 

So I did nothing at all. 

It wasn’t worth breaking no-contact 

With someone who doesn’t believe in freedom or fact. 

So I will accept the “fatherless” accusations, 

Proud and strong.

Because I have seen the allegations 

And for once, I believe I’ve done nothing wrong,

Not when it comes to my hope or my safety, 

And I do not feel like my hope is hasty, 

Because I am sturdy and strong, not dainty, 

I won’t watch it faintly, 

And I won’t be afraid he 

Represents my purity or my goodness, 

I know I am worthy now and I should thus 

Stay alive even if no one else is in favor, 

Because my decisions come from me, not fatherless behavior.

Solstice Lauren (they/them) is writer, actor, and all-around storyteller originally from Gloucester, MA. Currently studying Drama and Creative Writing at Vassar College, they have always had a passion for cultivating empathy through the art of creation. Their primary form of writing is in playwriting, and they have had their original plays produced at many schools, festivals, and theaters, including the Boston Playwrights’ Theater and the New York Theater Festival. Poetry has a special place in their heart, as it is a more personal method of sharing one’s thoughts and feelings. They hope to continue their growth as a poet, as well as to find ways of combining art forms that they love into interdisciplinary works.