When You Finally Said No

<p>In this story told through poetry a gang-rape throws a teenage girl into adulthood on a path of promiscuity and abusive relationships. Giorgio incorporates several poetic forms including haiku villanelle and prose poem to capture the shadow of a difficult past coloring the present and dimming the possibilities for a positive future. When the woman finally finds the courage to say no to abuse and submission she faces herself and discovers her own worth. She learns to put herself first even if it means being alone.</p>