Furia

by Yamile Saied Méndez

But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more. —Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Mermaid”

Lies have short legs.

She winked at me and handed me a captain band. She walked away before I could explain that she was asking too much, that I was just a girl with strong legs and a stubborn streak.

When boys and men became angry, they tried to fix the world by breaking it down with their fists.

Maluma played softly on the radio, promising a night of fun without contracts or promises. Guys say they want that, but they don’t. They want all of us, girls, women. All, without leaving us any space to enjoy ourselves.

“I’m not going to be a missing girl,” I said. None of the girls and women whose faces plastered the walls of our city had ever intended to become statistics, either, but they were blamed for the crimes committed against them.

“Lies have short legs, guapa. Don’t forget, or you won’t run.”