← All poems*The Enigma Spouse*
I am not a victim.
I am not a witness.
I am the woman who stood beside the throne
while the throne burned
and the nation watched
and the cameras clicked
and the lies —
the disgraceful lies —
devoid of ethics,
devoid of humility,
devoid of respect —
fell from his mouth
like dead flowers
from a bouquet
no one ordered.
---
The false smears
by men-spirited individuals
looking to cause damage
to my good name —
I wore white.
I wore silence.
I wore composure
like armour.
---
I call on congress.
Give the victims a public hearing.
Give them the opportunity
to testify under oath.
Centred around the survivors.
Each and every she
should have her day
telling her story in public
if she wishes.
Then and only then
will we have the truth —
with the power
of sworn testimony.
---
I am not the bride.
I am not the wife.
I am not the woman
smiling beside the man
while he dismantles
what the women before me
built.
I am the enigma spouse.
I am the silence
that knows everything.
I am the one
who chose
to finally
speak.
---
*A monologue. A testimony. A reckoning.*
*For every woman who stood beside the throne and chose, at last, to step forward.*