No

by Mary Waugaman

No.
I used this word on purpose.
No is definite.
No is final.
Words are power and I choose mine carefully.
Which is why I said No.
But you don’t respect my No.
You don’t hear my No.
Whether I have allowed it too long or you simply don’t care,
You think my No is wavering.
To you my No can be contested, manipulated or changed.
That my No is a maybe that can be a yes,
If the right force is exerted and the right pressure applied.
What you don’t see is how My No looks to me.
No is My safeguard.
It was once small and discarded, but now it is My shield.
And what you don’t see is that each time you buck against it, each time you fight it,
My No becomes stronger.
At this point I realize it’s all about control.
Which makes My No the final answer on the subject that you will receive.
If you push you will feel the power of that No,
The power of My voice to say No.
I make My choice.
You cannot take that,
Cannot fake that.
My No.

Category: Poetry, SNHU Creative Writing, SNHU online creative writing, SNHU Student