Also For Anonymous

Today I cried.

A woman lies cold in a hospital bed, 
her body torn apart by crazed men;
a woman who just wanted to live.

Today we cried because one of us has died.
And we cry for the thousands who die everyday,
alone, in fear, in agony,
at the hands of men who place little value on life, love, 
the beauty of a smile,
the sanctity of a woman's body.

Today we cried because we are powerless.
We are helpless to stop the madness.
We cannot fight the politics, the patriarchy, the power dynamics
that keep us down, that keep us beaten.

Today we cried because our sisters are dying
and we can't do a thing to stop it.

But tomorrow we rise. 
We rise because we are women.
We rise because we have nothing left.
We rise because we must. 

But today I cried. 

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Inspired by Nilanjana Roy's For Anonymous.
Don't tell me her name; I don't need to know it to cry for her.