She goes about her busy day
Doing her errands without delay
Everyone sees her as shy
So they respectfully don’t pry
Never one to put on wiles
She returns their smiles
Kindly, she returns each hello
While declining invitations, though
Sadly, not one calls her a friend
Because she rushes home at day's end
🥀
But there is a truth she is trying to hide
With make-up, she’s carefully applied
Wearing clothes that drape just so
She hopes that no one will know
What her dark sunglasses conceal
Ashamed to tell what’s happening for real
She withdraws into herself
And quickly loses her sense of self
Cringing when he is near
She lives in constant fear
🥀
Trepidation
Intimidation
She answers to him for everything
While he’ll punish her for anything
Alienation
Isolation
She's left all alone, with nowhere to turn
He’s spending money like he has it to burn
She’s under his control
Leaving him is her only goal
🥀
It’s a game of cat and mouse
Her prison has become the house
She wears the bruises
He’s the one who abuses
Her suffering is silent
To her pain, he is indifferent
All this she hides inside
Never to show on the outside
No one must ever know
Her humiliation must never show
🥀
So she wears a face that’s not hers
Hoping no one sees what occurs
Too ashamed for others to see
Wishing he would just let her be
She piles on the make-up
Making protective lies up
It’ll be sink or swim
One day, she’ll leave him
Either in a wooden box
Or in nothing but her socks
🥀
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Violence Begets
"Any last words, cowboy?" "None you'd understand, sodbuster." "Funny. That's Marshall Sodbuster to you. But I meant some last nugget that would help us in the adjudication of the myriad offenses counted against you and your gang. I wasn't asking for penitence."
By Adam Diehl5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (32)
I missed this before. I cringed when reading this. This is powerful Sharon. I wonder just how many people, male and female live in abusive relationships. Nicely Done! - I hope that you are okay now.
We do wear masks. Sometimes, relations turn toxic, restores trust, again falls apart. We need to be taught emotional intelligence rather than religious things.
What a powerful piece! I'm sorry I'm just seeing this now. I've been going back through the writers I subscribe to and reading their most recent stories I've missed. That's when I realized it's been 2 months since you've posted. I hope everything is well with you. I know it's been an emotional year for you and it's not hard to imagine where you got the inspiration for this poem. You've definitely described the psychology of abusive relationships masterfully. I hope others read this and realize that sometimes it's best to pry. It may be the difference between someone leaving in nothing but socks rather than a wooden box.
This is a powerful piece. I haven't been much around lately and see you haven't been around much either. I hope you are well.
Sharon, I just now realized that I haven’t seen you on Vocal for awhile. Hope everything is ok with you and it’s just a temporary needed break.
Sadly, this is very relatable!! Belated congrats on third place in last weeks leaderboard!!
I cried reading this, as I once knew the cringy feeling associated with an abusive partner. I was fortunate and escaped, but not before he tried to kill me. You did such a fantastic job with this, Mother Combs. Congratulations on making the leadership board this week, and thank you for addressing an issue that no person should ever have to live through!❤
Wooohooooo congratulations on your Leaderboard placement! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Wow! So powerful and so true!💙
WOW stunning work Mother! So captivating & powerful! 🎉💪🏾
Great work!! So many in this position, afraid to leave, and the authorities don't help unless there is a beating. And then, the abuser gets around it. 🥊🥋
Very sad, very real.. those last two lines are especially powerful. Well done on writing such a piece and for placing on the leaderboard!
This is so sad. I love how you've used a kind of tone change with the shift.
Powerful powerful poem loved the last two lines
Wow so sad.
Your words cut deep—raw, courageous, and painfully real. You’ve painted the invisible scars of abuse with both precision and compassion.
Message poems. You've done a fantastic job with this one! Whatever is needed to reach people and raise awareness. Kudos to you for writing!
I'm not sobbing. Nope. This is just dust in my eyes. I'm not triggered at all. Nope. My mother went through this. I grew up to model the same relationship behaviors. I know this poem like the back of my hand. Through the feeling not the words. Ugh. Mother. You're so good at making people cry at stupid hours of the morning. T_T Wonderful poem. And I love that you escaped. I'm so happy you're here to write poems. Throw the socks away. I'll get you new ones. With happier memories.
Mother combs For some reason I paused at 'pry'. It makes me think of her as invisible... There's no one there to care or try to get behind her mask... With her... Gosh that's heartbreaking. Kind of leading to her own loneliness by rushing home... Yet the reason or fact that it's done, is understandable. The sunglasses has got my mind buzzing — I am filling in the blanks and it's not looking too good. I am also loving how detached and haunting the tone is, In this one. It's bringing me to my knees in empathy. After intimidation... I can sadly relate. In a wooden- Oh gosh man! This pulled the rug right out from under me. I feel so bad for her... If this is autobiographical, I am so very sorry. But this was outstanding and true to the ominous atmosphere that hangs around a situation such as the one described. 🖤🤗❤️🖤
Well-wrought!
Really not a mask one should have to wear. Thoughts and prayers to those who do...we never know why they stay...hope for escape without death.
Oh shit, I definitely don't want her to leave him in a coffin. That's so heartbreaking 😭😭😭😭😭😭 Loved your poem!
That is a tough mask to maintain and a difficult trap to escape. So, so hard to get away. Your poem brings it to light. ❤️
Oh man…..this was triggering I’m so sorry you have any idea about this. Hugs
This is heartbreaking and so powerfully written.