Travelling Alone

Travelling alone can be great to unwind
A tranquil delight, an utter joy
A chance to reflect, to clear your mind
What a privilege, for any boy!

*cough*

I write that latter line with a lot of regret
I wish my words could be more inclusive
But when I stop to listen and to reflect
A collective philosophy becomes elusive

And fellas, I'm not saying we walk without fear
When we venture late into an unknown place
But the scale of the problem matters here
And how often it's a problem we have to face

"But I'm not the problem" you say with pride
"I'm an exception", and that may be true
The issue is enough men have lied
That they don't know if they can trust you

Or me. I need to consider if I'm part of this.
If I've contributed to this atmosphere.
Through missing warnings or making ignorant quips
Because you know what's to blame for this fear?

Not people going out alone or dressing a certain way
Those shouldn't be things that lead to danger
And if I want to believe that the truth of a future day
I need to make sure I'm a better friend than stranger

Because, without realising it, I have more freedom
Based on, among other things, being male
And I don't know if there are past things I could have done
If I had a chance to rewrite any sad tale

But, well, I look at stories and stats as well
How it portrays a world I just don't know
So, if I believe the stories that my friends tell
There's only one way this reflection of mine could go

Fellow men, I'd simple ask you to reflect too
Especially if these words seem unfamiliar or strange
For whether this due to the actions of many or few 
We need to do whatever we can to help things change

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Written in response to many things, but particularly dedicated to Sarah Everard