Because of You

No one would ever think such a demon could reside in a house such as this.

I’m so sick of your games
Can’t take the pain
You force upon me every day

I walk down the stairs
Hoping you’re not there
A sigh of relief
When I find I’m alone
But a note on the counter
Tells me you’ll be home

Dirty laundry on our floor
Sweeping needed at the front door
Dishes piled in the sink
No one would ever think
That such a demon could reside
In house such as this

My screams echo loud
In these halls as I clean
A desperate attempt
To make my life seem
A little more normal
But those screams, they are haunting
Reminded me of the terror
That tears my heart at the seams

I hear the door squeak
And the floorboards creak
You storm into my false peace
Surrounded by a cloud of alcoholic reek

You yell, loud and harsh
And I tremble at your bark
You shout “On your feet!”
And I have to obey
You look me over and decide
To my dismay
You have high expectations
That I just can’t meet

You slam me into the wall
And you bellow all the cruel words
That run circles in my head
And fill me with dread

You slap my face
I want to run
But that would be a race
I’d never win
You ball your hand into a fist
God, why has it come to this?

You beat me and bruise me
Damn me to hell
Tell me I’m worthless
And leave me as a shell
Of the woman I was
Before you turned on your charm
And I never knew
You were leading me to harm

You punch me and kick me
In a drunken rage
I’m backed into a corner
My own little cage

 

And as I feel myself slowly slipping away
I wonder if this loss will make you different someday

Author's Note

A few statistics to go along with this poem--
-1 in every 3 women has been beaten. Most perps are people that the women know, be they husbands, boyfriends, neighbors, or acquaintances.
-Every year, domestic violence results in almost 100,000 days of hospitalizations, almost 30,000 emergency department visits, and almost 40,000 visits to a physician.
-Of women who reported being raped and/or physically assaulted since the age of 18, 76% were victimized by a current or former husband or boyfriend.

I know the poem itself probably needs a bit of work. Comments? Crit? Reactions?

Reviews

[Winter Poison]

...D: That's so sad. :< I don't understand how people could do something like that to one another, it sickens me.

[Anjel]

this is heartbreaking and so well put. i could feel everything that was put into it and the flow was done very well.