Originally posted to Wattpad, "The Second Trial" by Twixie is a poem that explores the trauma that comes with society's treatment of sexual assault survivors. The poem is part of a collection called, Symphony of Wings & Hearts.
*Content Warning: discussion of sexual assault and related trauma
From the author:
This poem explores how sexual assault (rape) survivors often face a second trauma - society's reaction. While the physical violence is devastating, the emotional damage is frequently deepened by victim-blaming, disbelief, social stigma, and silence imposed by cultural expectations.
The "second trial" refers to the judgement survivors endure after the assault and pressure to heal quietly so others remain comfortable.
Image Description: A pale, tearful face is distorted with lights and camera tricks. Hands cover the eyes.
Credit:Plato Terentev / Pexels
"The Second Trial"
by Twixie
She survived that night
but the morning after was sharper.
Sunlight entered her room
like an investigator,
touching everything
except her trembling hands.
They said she was alive
as if survival meant victory,
as if breathing meant
nothing had been stolen.
Outside, the world waited
not with arms open,
but with questions sharpened
into knives.
Where were you?
Why were you there?
What were you wearing?
Did you resist enough?
Each Word a courtroom built without walls,
each stare a verdict passed in silence.
They examined her grief
like flawed evidence.
Measured her tears.
Timed her healing.
Doubted her memory,
but pain did not look
the way stories had taught them.
She learned quickly
the crime did not end that night.
The streets remained the same,
but she walked differently
carrying invisible glass inside her chest,
every step careful
between fear and survival.
They called her brave
only when she stayed quiet.
Called her strong when she stopped crying,
called her character into question when she chose to speak.
Society wrapped judgement in concern,
offering sympathy with conditions.
Heal quietly.
Forget quickly.
Do not disturb our comfort.
But trauma does not whisper.
It echoes.
At night, she rebuilt herself,
learning how to exist
in a body that remembered
what the world refused to understand.
And still,
somewhere beneath the weight of eyes and accusations,
a small flame refused extinction.
Because she was never broken,
only forced to carry
violence that was never hers.
One day,
she stood in front of a mirror and saw not a victim,
not shame or rumor
but a survivor who outlived both the crime and cruelty that followed.
And the world,
uncomfortable with her strength,
looked away.
From the Author
Twixie (she/her)
I am a writer and reader who loves creating stories, especially Taekook fanfiction inspired by BTS. While romance is my favorite genre, I also enjoy writing fantasy, drama, slice-of-life stories and poetry. My work often focuses on emotions, relationships and the small moments that make people feel understood.
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