"The year is 2018 and I’ve realized that nobody is safe long as she is alive." —Halsey
On Sunday, January 21st, 2018, the Women's March was held all over the world. The Women's March is a peaceful protest advocating equal rights for woman, among other things like human rights, immigration rights, racial equality, freedom of religion. A majority of these of these protests were mainly directed toward President Donald Trump, although that is not the point of this article.
I highly recommend that everyone go and watch her speak, it isn't very long at all so it doesn't take up a lot of time. It is something that needs to be talked about especially in lieu of recent events in Hollywood and within our government.
Artist Halsey came to NYC with a speech about her thoughts. She tells the crowds that she brought a poem to read and man, what a poem it was. Her poem is so relevant and passionate that I think it could really speak to a lot of women and even men.
"It’s 2009
and I’m 14 and I’m crying.
Not really sure where I am,
but I’m holding the hand
of my best friend Sam
in the waiting room of a Planned
Parenthood.
The air is sterile and clean
The walls are that not grey but green
This daunting image gives us a perfect image of this scene. Halsey starts her first passage setting the mood for the poem, letting us know that this isn't just her story but also her friends', family's, and everyone's story. Everyone's story is heard.
"And the lights are so bright they could burn a hole through the seam
Of my jeans.
And my phone is buzzing in the pocket.
My mom is asking me
If I remembered my keys
‘Cause she’s closing the door and she needs to lock it.
But I can’t tell my mom
Where I’ve gone
I can’t tell anyone at all
You see my best friend Sam
was raped by a man
that we knew cause he worked
In the after-school program.
And he held her down
with her textbooks beside her
And he covered her mouth
and then he came…
inside her.
So now I’m with Sam
At the place with a plan
Waiting for the results of a medical exam
And she’s praying
she doesn’t need an abortion.
She couldn’t afford it
Her parents would 'like totally kill her'"
There is so much raw feeling in these lines that I had a hard time not shedding a tear. If you watch the video clip, you can really see Halsey reliving the experience, and you can tell she doesn't want to go back there but that she feels it's something that needs to be shared — to spread the message, even if it only gets to just one girl in the waiting room of a Planned Parenthood at age 14.
"It’s 2002
and my family just moved
The only people I know
are my mom's friend sue
And her son.
He’s got a case of matchbox cars
And he says that he’ll teach me
to play the guitar
If I just keep quiet…
And the stairwell beside
apartment 1245
Will haunt me in my sleep
long as I’m alive
And I’m too young to know
why it aches in my thighs
But I must lie
I must lie…"
Now she is telling her own personal experiences through rhymes. Her images are so abstract, you can really tell what a talented writer she is. It speaks true in all of her songs. You can just imagine all of the crowd taking in all of these impactful words, hearing her story.
"It’s 2012 and I’m dating a guy
And I sleep in his bed and
I just learned how to drive
And he's older than me
And he drinks whiskey neat
And he's paying for everything
(This adult thing's not cheap)
We've been fighting a lot
Almost 10 times a week
But he still want to have sex
And I just want to sleep
He says I can't say no to him
That this much I owe to him
He buys my dinners,
so I have to blow him
And he's taken to forcing me
down on my knees
I'm confused
'cause he's hurting me
while he says 'please'
And 'he's only a man,'
and these things he 'just needs'
He's my boyfriend
So why am I filled with unease?"
Sadly, this might be something that a lot of women can relate to. It is hard to establish that line in a healthy relationship, but it is one that's important. Now, this isn't the end of the poem, but I am going to stop my commentary here and leave you with that last verse because it is so powerful. Halsey gave us this important message to start and continue a conversation, so let's talk.
I strongly urge you to watch the entirety of the poem on the clip that I have included; it is a very important topic that needs to be spoken about beyond last Sunday. Here's the link to the whole poem.
