pray.prey by Valerie Parente

You pray to the man of all men
while you prey on women
and we’re all supposed to pretend
we don’t notice the difference.

You tell women to do all these things
to protect themselves from men
as you tell men to put their hands together
and continue to say amen.

There is minimal accountability
for the dangers men create
many of them see women in peril
and do nothing to make a change
they just rely on a man in the sky
to do if for them because they don’t want blame.
It’s not about anyone’s fault
it’s about women feeling somewhat okay
while the men that run the world
continue to make it unsafe.

– Valerie Parente (5-24-2026)