The expectation of violence is inherent when you walk through the world as a woman. It feels familiar to me, like a smell I recognize from childhood. I don’t know how to explain this to men. Even the ones who offer to walk me to my car at night. It is not their fault, I know that, but I have spent my life growing comfortable with the thought of my death because it is statistically more likely to happen as a woman who dates men.
About the author
Victoria Butler is a writer from Barrie, ON. She was the Poet Laureate of said hometown from 2018 until 2022 and was the first woman to carry the title. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto. Her debut full length collection of poetry, Little Miracles, was published with Black Moss Press in September 2021. Butler lives with her cats, Zelda and Navi.