Purple Scarf

My color is vibrant, 

hours of work housed 

within my stitches and chains.

Soft and delicate yarn,

warming the tender skin

underneath my surface. 

A stitch rips,

my creation being reversed

one stitch at a time. 

I am powerless

unable to defend my intricate design.

My yarn unravels,

chains coming undone.

Ditched in the dumpster,

the skin I once warmed 

now eerily cold.

My colors have been coated,

drowned in suffering.

I hold on to the few strings left,

trying to piece together

all that I have just lost.

81% of women nationwide have reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or violence. Every 73 seconds, another woman falls victim to rape. Whether she fights or cries does not invalidate her experience. On the day that you have read this, 114 women have experienced sexual assault or rape in South Africa. Many of these women are unable to escape with their lives. There is no excuse. Words must be used to spark a change — to heal this world. Advocacy has waited and the stigma around sexual violence has persisted. The world has failed its victims. Stand with women across the world; speak out against the violence in South Africa, in America, and in the world. Wear purple, a color symbolic of the horrid crimes experienced by women in South Africa. A simple phrase or act can change history. Creation is Activism.