manipulated

Don’t Let Her Be

Manipulated

Mixed Media on Canvas

4’ x 5’

2025

That dagger of a feeling

When unsafety creeps in

When everything has just started moving

When your world is first beginning to shift

I chose the wrong spaces

I trusted the wrong ones

I’m no longer safe here

How am I going to run?

Our reality is different than yours. Yes, our worlds are identical, the differences are near imperceptible to the untrained eye. In mine, the risk for harm is astronomically high. Native women face rates of violence at alarming rates compared to all other demographics combined. The Bureau of Indian Affairs says we are 84% more likely to experience harm and violence in our lives. This also comes from the same government, which drags its feet when solving cases. Add to that a disability, and our poor girl here never stood a chance.

When others feel superior to you, they rarely listen to your objections.

My “no” does not carry the same weight as my allistic/neurotypical peer’s.

Advice given by them, I’ve already implemented.

My “no” only carries weight when I’m armed.

So what about those who cannot wield a weapon?

Those who are unable to voice their objections?

What happens to the ones who can’t defend themselves?

What if you’re in a coma?

What if you’re already dead?

[By three individuals (to my face) it’s already been said. ]

So tell me world, when will you wake up to the monster hiding under our beds?

Will you look the other way when harm claims the most vulnerable again?