An Ode to Her Rape Whistle

by Robin Parker

 

From a black nylon rope around
her neck hangs a silver instrument
bouncing on her tummy as she walks
along. A small ball tassels the dark
inside, waiting to be heard in a different
way…happy.

This whistle, a voice that could not
find its exit from inside. Her defender
lays in waiting.

From a black nylon rope around her
neck, a place of honor, hangs a time
piece that stands still. Recognizing
a day chosen to remember, in blue
plastic it reads, “90 Days Clean.”

Her whistle and companion opens
a door to freedom, a silence, attracts
the eyes of many on any given day,
in place.

---

Skagit Valley Recovery Community
February 2016

Written in response to a prompt asking students to write “An Ode . . .” to some object in their lives. Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to My Socks” was a generative model.