day ONE HUNDRED and SIXTY

They’re Killing Our Girls

They’re killing our girls

in homes

at schools

with knives and guns

and beatings.

They’re killing our girls

at rock concerts

with bombs full of bolts and screws.

They’re killing our girls

stealing them on their way to school

locking them in marriage

and pregnancy

and then slitting their throats.

They’re killing our girls

telling them what to wear

what to eat

how to look

what to say

where they can and cannot go.

They’re killing our girls

for saying no

for saying yes

for speaking at all.

While we shake our heads

and wring our hands

and wonder about the lone wolf

who shoots up the school

who blows up the church

trying to figure out why

these men murder

paint them as unique or deranged

remember they have always

been targeting

and hunting

and killing our girls.

--Ally Malinenko