National Poetry Slam Finals 2014 - 'Say No' Olivia Gatwood, Megan Falley

Poem written and performed by members of Urbana Poetry Slam, Megan Falley and Olivia Gatwood.

[Annecgallagher]

the girl they mentioned from connecticut went to my school. I sat in homeroom while i heard screams and text tones, hearing that something happened to Maren under the stairs. Hes a monster, killing a poor innocent girl, so talented with a beautiful voice. I can never forget that day and I swear to God if anyone feels unsafe when they want to say no, please please be strong.

[annalotus]

This poem reminds me of a line from "Somewhere in America":
"Coachs cover up star players raping freshman after the dance.
Women are killed for rejecting dates.
But god forbid I bring my girlfriend to prom."

[TaylorTanguay]

"curse the day you learned anything besides the words yes and sorry" FUCK ME UP

[sarahbecker]

I wish it didn't have such an awful echo, but damn that was good.

[carolineswn]

"And a boy with a kind smile, puts his arm around her, offers her a beer filled with a magic that erases no from her vocabulary"

That line is what really gave me the chills, and filled tears to my eyes, because the truth behind it it real.

[TigerPrawn_]

No means no.
Silence does not mean yes.

[magnolia]

Holy shit I've watched this 4 times already and each time I get chills and my heart breaks a little bit more. This is EXTREMELY powerful. Ladies, I _implore_ you to stand up for yourselves and expect nothing less than the profusion of respect you deserve. 

[bubblytea]

I am from the same small town where the Connecticut girl was stabbed, I had friends who were friends with her. It completely devastated and changed our entire school community. I'm so glad these girls brought it up. It is all a part of a much larger underlying issue.

[InuMiroLover]

Powerful piece. I remember hearing the news story about the girl who rejected a prom date and was then stabbed because of it. This isnt an isolated incident. Its only part of a larger issue. There are cases of women who had been hurt because they said "no". Women feel pressured to say "yes", just in case the man asking for her attention decides to go batshit crazy on her for saying no. That is wrong. I have a right to decline you. Men do not have a right or claim to me. I shouldnt have to fear for my life just because I don't want to date you!

[morganbooyse]

It is summer. The smell of beer and hotdogs
is sweet in the air like a national anthem.
It’s baseball season,  and you love baseball,

and going to these games with your boyfriend.
And today might be the perfect day
as you watch the little boys with their sticky grins

on their father’s shoulders. As you watch
all the happy people on the Jumbotron —
and then you see your own face

and your boyfriend down on one knee.
and then you see an engagement ring
so big it blinds the screen.

And the way he looks at you
like he caught the home run ball.
And then you look up

and see the thousands
of people in the stadium, rooting for you,
to do it, to say yes.

This is for the woman who says no:

They will boo you as you run down the stadium steps
because it will never be the wedding aisle.

Someone will throw popcorn at you
because it will never be rice, or confetti.

Someone will catch your wrist
because it will never be a bouquet.

They will call you a villain. A bitch.
They will call you worse.

They will curse the day you learned any other words
besides yes and sorry.

The ones who think themselves kind will ask
why you couldn’t just fake it for the screen,

why you had to make no a public thing.
There were little girls in the audience after all
and you denied them their fucking fairytale.

Someone will tell your now ex-boyfriend
how undeserving you are, how any sane woman
would have loved that proposal,

and you must not have been shit anyway,
probably crazy, and he will nod.
 
And somewhere a man calls to a woman from his car window,
Hey sexy, come closer. She says no,

                — Cunt, you are ugly anyway.

Somewhere a woman argues for a higher salary
and her co-workers call her a bitch in the break room.

Somewhere a woman’s friends sign her up
for a makeover show. The audience laughs

when she says she loves her sweatpants.
The audience laughs when they throw them out anyway.

Somewhere a girl is told that if she doesn’t want to
hear the song about rape,  don’t listen to it, but it follows her

in the supermarket,  the gym, the girl’s clothing aisle,
and now she knows all the words.

Somewhere a woman is told to get naked at a frat party.
She refuses, a boy with a kind smile puts his arm around her,
offers her a beer, filled with the magic that erases No from her vocabulary.

I am sixteen In the manager’s office of my first job,
and my boss whispers a list of the things he would do to my body.
I say no,  and he threatens my next pay check.

In my long-term boyfriend’s bed,
after having sex five times that morning, I say no,
he says,  this probably isn’t going to work.

In Connecticut, a girl is asked to senior prom
by someone other than her boyfriend. She says no
and his knife blooms a corsage in her chest.

In California, a young virgin boy thinks about you,
and the ones like you, the ones who said no,
and the audience of boos,  and the poor sucker

who was owed something
then denied it

and cocks his gun.

[georgiahearn]

I get chills EVERYTIME absolutely amazing

[juliamckenna]

This is one of the first times I've ever seen a public source of media that's ever employed that message. I'm already sick of how much this poem is true, and am incredibly thankful that at least some people think like me. Thank you ladies! You have an amazing gift! Please continue to use it!

[notrllyedgy]

I don't know whether to be scared out of my mind or inspired.

[kensuala]

such an important poem, one that every little girl needs to hear. you don't owe anyone anything - not even an explication; no is a complete sentence.

[madelinewhite]

I know someone who refused to kiss her friend at a dance and all of her friends turned against her. I thought it was just one instance...I'm glad I saw this. Bravo, girls...bravo for speaking out.

[mandrickmovies]

They work so well together, this is absolutely incredible.

[alexisstricklin]

This is the most beautiful thing I have heard in awhile.

[duffyd]

This is my actual favorite slam right now. I love the emotion in the performance

[sunnymathews]

All these men saying "what about me?" While there are more women out there screaming "get away from me!" Now i do understand bad things happen to men as well, my boyfriend was raped by another man. But females and males need to stop yelling me and start yelling us.

[AngelofMusicization]

0:46 The spoken word equivalent to the beat dropping