the broad

been addressed as
“broad” while sitting in
the park & “dame” while
on the train, wondering if
it was the fucking 40’s,
thinking these men a pain,
found herself sitting in the
lobby when one turned to
her saying “bitch,” as if it
was just another word to him,
like it didn’t mean a thing &
while in the mini mart near
her neighborhood, a couple
teens saw her move saying
“chica” & when she passed
she heard “pussy” amidst other
words to describe her body,
then down her street those on
the corner who’ve known her
quite some time, referred to her
as “mami” & in the laundry
later that afternoon she gets
labeled “sexual chocolate,”
she gets addressed as “honey,”
“baby,” like she was right back
in a high school classroom,
she gets hit on while folding
her clothes, when propositioned
blatantly for sex by a man calling
her “shorty,” with all the
resistance in the world, she
makes it out on her own & back
down the street, with blood
burning a thousand flames inside,
with tightened, gritted teeth,
the next that comes into her path
presenting himself & saying “ho,”
gets a kick so hard, so strong
so fast in the groin, he hadn’t a
moment to say
“oh no.”