The day after the election,
I shared this statement in a meme,
white type on a background black as night.
Not my creation——a sentiment shared by thousands,
the truth revealed as everyone knows a woman
who’s been a victim,
but nobody knows a man held to account.
Female friends posted the meme in solidarity, a
sisterhood of the digital age.
99 people responded to my post.
95 women in support,
1 woman posted a single dissent,
1 man posted an apology.
2 men could not leave it alone,
hosting a conversation in comments.
My phone pinged in my purse, my pocket, on my dashboard.
The women confirmed the sentiment with
“FACTS!” “Evidently.” “Apparently.” “Truth.” “Disgusting.” “Sadly.”
The two men commented paragraphs,
mansplaining why the better man won.
I invited them to take their lovefest elsewhere,
get a room, a chatroom, or DM.
One man went silent while the
other man could not take “no” for an answer.
The last man standing continued his diatribe,
tagging individuals who had replied.
I blocked the blowhard
because you can do that online.
In the real world, you can’t block a
man who won’t take “no” for an answer.
Dawn Levitt is a two-time heart transplant recipient and abuse survivor who writes at the intersection of hope and healing after life’s most traumatic events. She recently completed her first poetry chapbook for which she is seeking publication. Find her writing in Newsweek, Insider Magazine, Breath and Shadow, Pink Panther Magazine, and many others. Dawn’s first true love——and favorite revenge story——is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. She fell in love with the mad prince at age six when she obtained a dog-eared copy of the play at a yard sale, leading her to act out scenes with her Barbies. In her version, all roles were female with the exception of Ophelia, demurely portrayed by Ken. Find her website at www.dawnlevittauthor.com and @2HeartCore4U on Substack and Bluesky.
