19 & bleeding in New Orleans

by Shannon Peil

the men all screamed
'show me yr tits!'
& the women laughed
they yelled down at me
from the patios
'show me yr dick!'
& i was fuzzy
dazed
& agreeable
i dropped my pants
to the knee
presented myself
smiling wide as they hooted
threw beads down
then yelled
'look out!'
&
watched the cop
throw me face down
grinning into the concrete