these men
think that they are the “nice guys.”
the ones who
nod and listen when i tell them
about that day in the blistering heat,
the man who called me cute.
they are interested
but ask me why i am afraid to walk alone
when he never touched me.
they are the “nice guys”
who i date;
they claim to be feminists
but slut-shame me for not saving my body
until the day i met them.
“nice guys”
who know that they are the real
“nice guys”, not the stereotype:
they know what “intersectional” means
and can name four female poets off the top
of their heads, like a monologue
or a pick-up line.
they think that believing that i am
a human being who deserves equal rights
will make me want to blow them.
they get offended when
little girls are uncomfortable around them
and post facebook rants about it.
i am uncomfortable around them.
there is a difference between being
a “nice guy” and
a “good guy”.
nice people say the right thing to
make people happy, without
much of a fuss.
good people do the right thing
even if it makes people unhappy,
and sometimes they make a fuss.
i will take “good” over “nice”
every time.
Aubrey Hoffer is a 20 year old student who is currently getting a degree in Political Science that will strengthen her mind, while writing poems that nurture her soul. Her first poetry book, entitled "Scabs", was published in December of 2016. She hopes that her writing can mean something to someone, as it means everything to her.