jane doe.

jane doe.

x.iv

Every capillary

in her face seemed to burst

all at once. Her eyes pitied

my inability to hold myself

together, yet she was lying

on my exam table awaiting

“the kit.”

Every muscle

in her body tenderized

by a man petrifyingly selfish.

I timidly collected a sample

of the horror, only to label it

“nameless.”

Every woman

fears this mutilation of morals,

I held her hand in solidarity

as they tallied another

silent victim, naming her

“Case no. 97812.”