By Sophie Dunne

He is pale like a cloud
His skin like melting ice cream 
Blowing me kisses as I work 
Leaning far over his seat 
About to fall
As he devours my presence
And attempts to maul

He stands to stretch as I approach that area 
And like a security guard
Inspects my body as he passes me by 
Feeling my uniform morph into my skin 
His poisoned hands 
His mind of sin

And it wasn’t just me

My colleagues met him too

They felt the caress of his melting skin 
And now we’re here confiding in you 

But you don’t want to hear 
And you don’t want to know 
Your role of team leader 
Merely for power 
And control


Because you don’t want to confront

And you don’t want to report

But the sharpest stone is that we don’t have your support

Instead you tell your colleagues of women 
Facing in front of you
If it happens again give him a warning
Do not freeze 
Only then I can confront 
And put you at ease.

Sophie Dunne is an Amazon Best Selling author, poet, copy editor, podcast host, and culture and society critic from Ireland who delivers an intimate poetic narrative in her book, Company Alone. When she’s not writing, Sophie records a podcast series on the non-traditional female experience with her girlfriend, Tiana called she. for shifting her experience. The poem is an excerpt from her book.