I have not forgotten you
I forgive you
And in forgiving, you are cast out
Forgiveness does not mean allowance
Of further abuse
You may not return

You are the last, though
Which has nothing to do with it being you
Don’t get the idea that it is endless love
That I am carrying a torch

No, the torch is extinguished
For all men
I cannot imagine dating a man
Post Epstein
Post Trump
Post a rapist pedophile liar in the White House
And all his rich male white friends
Fucking everyone else over
Metaphorically
And young girls in truth

Certainly this is a small revenge
An older woman
Turning from all men?
Who cares when they can abuse 
Nubile young girls 
Who fall for a moneyed lie
Or who are sold by family
Across the borders 
Of countries

But it is the small revenges 
That add up
I am not the only one

It’s just a small group to start with
Like an insect bite
But sometimes an infection starts
Smolders deep
And sepsis,
Blood poisoning
Can lead to death

And maybe the parents
Will think twice
If they aren’t starving
About giving you 
Their nubile daughters
For any price

I hope 
This pandemic
Shuts you down

A pandemic
Of aging failing starving 
Pedophiles
Whose penile longings
Turn penal

____________________

I always know the start of a poem, but I don’t ever know where it will go. I am always surprised and this went very dark. But maybe it also goes to a light place for young men and women, that history will not keep repeating this abuse.

I took the photograph in Hawaii.

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: protect.