Bud

A Poem by Amy Nguyen

The bouquet of the pastels were held.

Their cage was made up of youth hands.

The air was the right speed today.

The invisible strokes tickled the girl.

All around her was only the company of the sea of weeds. 

All were printing-press replicas of each other.

They were nothing but green strokes on a piece of paper.

She hauled up the basket of food and made way down the path. 

The trek was tiresome with the weight of the appealing bouquet and food,

but she persevered.

At the back of her was a man.

His age neither matter nor his outfit, 

but his thoughts needed concern.

The girl that held the bouquet and basket of food caught his eye.

If only thoughts and intent were in physical form, then it would have made him seem dubious towards the girl. 

The girl peered back at the man with a glee.

It was a beautiful spot to be after all.

Albeit the man's gaze lingered on her,

She paid no mind.

Both were set on different tasks after all.

His feet were as patient as his excitement towards the girl that held the bouquet and basket of food. 

He needn't hide since only the life of the green and two of them were seen. 

Nature has taken his side since the wind's whisper abruptly turned into a yell.

It deafened the ears of all who were there.

Simultaneously, as the girl reached her end goal, so did he.

note from author:

This writing is about how men target unsuspecting girls just because of their bodies and mostly age. Society blames victims because they look appealing to the predator’s eyes. It is a very sensitive topic and showcases a scenario of a girl heading her way home while a man targets her for his own needs just because her body and image seemed to catch his eye. The poem uses many metaphors and symbolism for the reader to break down to gain a deeper understanding. I decided to discuss this topic because I have seen other women and myself objectified and told to cover ourselves to not become a victim.