Arrest him for Theft

Arrest him for the loss of skin I tore off, 
      trying to get myself clean
Arrest him the theft of more than one dream
Arrest him for the loss of my kids to their dad
Arrest him for the theft of the future I had. 

Arrest him for the cost of the pills that I take
And the stolen dates that I’ll no longer make
Arrest him for the theft of the life I once knew
Arrest him for the lies we all believed true.

It’s clear you won’t act on the actions he takes
For the lives that he ruins or hearts that he breaks
For the trouble he wreaks wherever he goes
How many lies? Only he knows.

How many times should we ‘get over it’?
 How my times do we live the same shit?
 It’s clear nothing matters but a man’s ‘good name’
 That they’ll call us all liars and say we’re insane. 

Accuse US of harassment, of stalking and more
Call us by names – slut, slapper and whore
Accuse us of lying, revenge, or a fuss
Of jumping upon the 'gold-digging' bus.

You don’t care ‘bout the hurt, or the chaos he left
But since ‘things’ are what matters, arrest him for theft!

Please note that I used ‘he/him’ in this poem simply based on the statistics that we currently have.

I fully acknowledge that women groom as well, and that some victims are male. I would like more men to step forward to shine a light on grooming and offer a fuller picture.

If you have been groomed, you can answer an anonymous research questionnaire here: Adult grooming research