"My Rapist Is A Nice Guy" by Mandy Gettler

My Rapist Is a Nice Guy

He posts daily prayers.
None of them are for me.
Only women are counseled on forgiveness.

Every year, he donates Christmas presents.
I just want my underwear back,
With the dignity knotted up in the lace.

People call him to ask for advice, corroboration.
What I want to know is
How I tell my mother
And is it possible to
Pass through the shadow
Between my experience and the story he tells his wife.

He hugs his daughters at night.
I teach my sons when
Enough is enough
Is enough.

Mandy Gettler

Mandy Gettler is the mother of two young boys, a yoga practitioner, end-of-life doula, and business strategist. Her artistic work explores the intersection of grief, trauma, and the body, as well as the ways in which humans use the divine to make meaning. Her previous work has appeared in Calyx. She is a Midwest transplant living in Springfield, Oregon.

Headshot: Christopher Daradics

Photo Credit: Staff