This is a three-shot! Be aware: there is frank talking of slut-shaming, abortion, and human sexuality.
there is more to a chaste life
than naive acceptance,
than fear of a world turning bleak,
of the world crumpling
from a mistake,
of the sky not whispering sweet nothings to you
from an endless expanse of clouds,
of the sun shining a bit dimmer
when you're feeling
less than perfect.
Manny is the type of girl
your mother, in hushed and fearful whispers,
tells you not to emulate
for there is nothing worse
than a girl
who views her lack of chastity
as a blessed breath of beauteous liberation
Manny is more than her sexual prowess,
more than her abortion
more htan the men she's been attached to:
why is her face
assumed to be in the dictionary
for the word "sex"
when it's natural, like breathing?
The rumor mill
alleges that
everyone is having sex
behind harsh shadows,
so why is it that
Manny opening her mouth
to explain her joy and her sorrow,
that somehow her character
comes into question?
Her worth comes from elsewhere,
not from mindless judgment.