Just Words

There are several words that hate.  I'm not talking about those silly words that just sound weird to your ears.  Meat.  Beef.  Texas.  I hate the way those words sound.  But I'm not talking about those words.

I'm talking about the words that hit a little to close to home for comfort.

Rape.

Maybe I'm not the best person to be talk on this subject.  I've never been raped.  I have, however, seen its repercussions.  I don't know it all.  In fact, I don't claim to know anything.  Anything, that is, except the pain it can bring.

Like I said, I don't like the word.  But you have to call it for what it is.  It is destructive and painful.  It is bone crushing.  It is sordid and offensive.

There isn't much else to say.  I've had several people close to me raped.  I'm not a liberty to share their stories.  It's not my story to tell.  My dad is sharing his story.  January is National Stalking Awareness Month.  His story will be in The Clarion Ledger this Thursday.  Last April he was stalked.  He was raped.

Using that word makes my insides fold into themselves, giving me nausea.  I hate it.  But I must name it.  It has to have a name.  Something so ugly can not go unnoticed.