bloodstained bedsheets

i was a little girl
young and innocent
until my cream-colored linen sheets
were stained crimson red

they called me a woman
because my bedsheets are tainted
because blood doesn’t wash out
because my body betrayed me

now, i defile myself in a different way
the people whisper that i’m ruined
because poison contaminates my veins
because i don’t wake up to bloodstained bedsheets

i wanted to stay pure forever
but girls who don’t become women
those girls who become boys
will still never be clean