Consent

He asked me, do you want to do it?
I said no, maybe not now.
He looked me in the eye and grabbed me by the waist doing everything that I just said no to

He told me, hey, how have you been
I smiled and said, I am good, how about you?
The next day all I heard was him boasting to his friends about how interested I was in him!

He was ill and fell on the road while I was driving
I picked him up and took him to the hospital; while giving him medicine he caught my hand!

He worked with me, and I helped him with a project,
My hand touched his, and he held me by my arm!

He was a renowned gynae, I went to him for a checkup
He asked me how many men I had been sleeping with and if I was interested in him!

He had helped me with luggage on the bus,
I thanked him, and he asked for my number!

He was my brother-in-law, and while serving him tea, his arm touched mine
Next, I found him in my bedroom, thinking I wanted to sleep with him

Consent is what I all hear!
Consent is what I never gave!

Consent is when I say a clear yes!
And consent is when you listen to those words!

-Natasha Kalra is an avid reader, a hopeless poetess and an enthusiastic teacher. Presently working as a Faculty in the PG Department of English, GC Ropar, India.