Any Man

by Amber Tamblyn

“Do you ever think about what the offender might be feeling, Mr. Ellis? “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, Mr. Ellis? “What are you going to do if the offender is someone you know? “What are you going to say to the offender when you see them in court? “Do you think everyone will look at you differently now? “Do you have any clocks in your house, and how many clocks do you own? “Have they ever all simultaneously stopped? “Do you think you’ll sleep okay in the coming decades?

Donald swallowed one hundred matches and rubbed his body against a volcano. He died instantly. Donald got into an argument with the moon and died instantly. Donald revealed how much he could love and died instantly. Donald met his friend for a beer after work and died instantly.

“How can you go on living when you’re now being lived in?

A country that says “innocent until proven guilty,” even though the proving of assault is nearly impossible. Tell me how you prove coercion? How you prove the difference between being hit on and hunted? How you prove your arms were held down? Your body was touched? Your life was threatened if you ever told anyone? For people who have suffered violent sexual crimes, proof—the very act of proving—is more than just a burden.

I am in a body. It is not the one I came here with, but it is the one I’ll leave here in. I will take care of it. It belongs to me now. My pain, I will take care of it. It belongs to me now. My heart, I will take care of it. It belongs to me now. My story, I will take care of it. It belongs to me now.