Blame Game

By MarieAnn Raguso

(Wyatt Sonnet)

a woman takes the blame

for a man staring at her thighs

as the blood stains his ties

still she cannot be tame

in a world to play the game

hysteria deems her words, “mere lies,”

that stop only when God dies

but she’ll never be the same

remorse to some is seen as a sin

while men plea for her body to hide

worst standards for her to some chagrin

even money is not on a woman’s side

into the darkness she will dart

lost in the isolation of a weary heart

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New York-born MarieAnn C. Raguso (she/her) is a Purple Heart and a Combat Action Medal Recipient veteran of the Air Force’s Security Forces. She identifies as a disabled veteran, a Pisces, and an innate poet. She has three degrees: a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, a Bachelor’s in Sociology-Anthropology, and an Associate's Degree in the Social Sciences. In 2007, Raguso wrote the screenplay for the independent film, “Revival of Darkness,” under the pseudonym-surname Rosko. She was published in Hinnom Magazine Issue 004 for a short fiction story, “The Atlantow” in 2017. In 2021, Raguso was published in the May and June issues of the Dillydoun Review for the poems, “Drive Away” and “Lending Family Money.” In 2019, she read some of the poems originating from her MFA thesis at Manhattanville College. She is also a member of the Academy of American Poets, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Air Force Security Forces Association. For more glimmers of Raguso, visit www.marieanncraguso.com.