BATTERED

HAVING MY MORNING COFFEE

AND LETTING THE  SLEEP SLOWLY

 LIFT ITSELF FROM MY BODY.  

I STARED TRANSFIXED

 AT THE  TELEVISION SCREEN

THIS MORNING.

THE WOMAN IN THE WHEELCHAIR

WAS BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION,

BATTERED AND BROKEN

STARING BACK  AT ME

WITH   HOLLOW EYES.

GAZING

INTO MY EYES

AND THROUGH MY VERY SOUL.

A PANEL OF MEN SAT BEFORE HER.

STRONG

 AND

 FILLED WITH RAGE.

NOT MAKING EYE CONTACT

 WITH THE WOMAN.

ONLY STARING

 INTO  THE EYES

 OF THEIR

 FRIGHTENED MATES.

WHO SAT BY THEIR SIDE.

THEIR EYES FILLED

 WITH PAIN AND FEAR.

AND.

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

FOR THESE MEN

THAT BROKE

 THEIR

VERY SPIRITS.

LOOK AT ME.

YELLED THE WOMAN

 IN THE WHEELCHAIR.

DON'T TURN YOUR FACE

 AWAY FROM ME.

LOOK AT ME !!!

AND SEE YOUR WIFE.

THIS IS

 WHAT

SHE IS BECOMING.

THIS IS

 WHAT

 YOU

 ARE DOING TO HER.

THE MEN MOVED

 UNEASILY

 IN THEIR  SEATS.

EYES

 STILL FILLED

 WITH

 NOTHING BUT HATE.

THE WOMEN

 MOVED UNEASILY IN THEIR SEATS.

EYES FILLING

 WITH SUDDEN UNDERSTANDING.

TRYING

 TO SORT THROUGH EMOTIONS.

MAYBE

IT WAS THEIR FAULT.

MAYBE

THEY DID SOMETHING

 TO MAKE THEM ANGRY.

MAYBE

 THEY DIDN'T DO ENOUGH

 TO MAKE THEM HAPPY.

MAYBE

 THEY  WHERE NOT PRETTY ENOUGH.

SMART ENOUGH.

YOUNG ENOUGH.

OLD ENOUGH.

THIN ENOUGH.

FAT ENOUGH.

MAYBE

 THEY PROVOKED THEIR HUSBANDS RAGE.

THEY PICKED THE FIGHTS.

THEY MADE THEIR MAN  STRIKE THEM.

MAYBE

THEY ARGUED TOO MUCH.

MAYBE

THEY DIDN'T TALK  ENOUGH.

MAYBE

THEY  WHERE TOO LOUD.

OR SPOKE TO SOFTLY.

MAYBE

 DINNER WASN'T  MADE

 FAST ENOUGH.

MAYBE

 IT WAS MADE TOO FAST.

MAYBE 

SHE SHOULD HAVE COOKED

 SOMETHING HE LOVED.

MAYBE

SHE JUST SHOULD

 NOT HAVE COOKED.

MAYBE

 SHE SHOULD HAVE

CLEANED THE HOUSE MORE.

OR HAD HIS BATH READY

 WHEN HE WALKED IN THE DOOR.

MAYBE

 IF SHE WASN'T SO TIRED

 ALL THE TIME

OR SO  DEPRESSED.

BUT

DID SHE DARE TO SMILE ?

WHAT WAS SHE SMILING ABOUT?

MAYBE

 IF SHE

 GREW HER HAIR LONGER.

MAYBE

 IF SHE

CUT IT ALL OFF.

MAYBE

 IF SHE

DRESSED MORE SEXY.

MAYBE

SHE SHOULD JUST WEAR SWEATS.

MAYBE

 IF SHE

 PUT THE KIDS TO BED EARLIER.

MAYBE

 IF SHE

 KEPT  THEM  AWAKE

 BEFORE HE CAME HOME.

SHE MUST BE

 MAKING HIM SCREAM AT HER.

SHE MUST  BE

 BEGGING FOR  HIS BEATINGS.

SHE MUST

ENCOURAGE HIS ASSAULT ON HER  DIGNITY.

SHE MUST

 LOVE TO BE HATED THIS WAY.

THEIR MUST

 BE SOMETHING WRONG

 WITH HER MENTALLY.

SHE MUST

 BE  A SICK PERSON.

SHE  MUST

DESERVE ALL OF THIS.

HE TELLS HER

 SHE DOES.

SHE

 BELIEVES HIM.

SHE

 LOVES HIM.

HE WOULD

NEVER LIE TO HER.

HE DOES THIS

 FOR HER OWN GOOD.

HE BEATS HER,

 BECAUSE

HE LOVES HER.

SHE CRIES.

HE'S SORRY.

HE'S NOT SORRY.

HE BEATS HER.

SHE IS

 BLOODY AND BEATEN.

HE IS ANGRY.

HE  IS  SCARED.

HE IS SORRY.

HE IS NOT SORRY.

HE BEATS HER

 YET AGAIN.

SHE

 WELCOMES

  HER DEATH.

HE IS

 IN  A  RAGE.

HE IS

 NO LONGER

 IN CONTROL

 OF HER.

HE'S BEATEN.

HE'S SORRY.

NOW HE IS

ALONE.

I WATCHED

THIS STORY UNFOLD BEFORE ME.

 THEN I

 REALIZED THE TEARS

 STREAMING DOWN MY FACE.

I WAS HER.

I AM HER.

I WILL ALWAYS BE HER.

THEN I SAW

THIS STRANGE THING HAPPEN.

THREE  STRANGE MEN,

ALSO WITH TEARS

SOAKING THEIR SHIRTS.

 GAZING A PAINFUL GAZE

OF RECOGNITION.

THESE  VERY ABUSERS.

WHO HAD BEATEN

 AND ABUSED THEIR OWN WIVES.

GOT UP.

ONE BY ONE.

AND SLOWLY WALKED OVER

 TO THIS BROKEN WOMAN

 IN THE WHEELCHAIR.

AND SHE STRUGGLED

 TO RISE UP WITH  DIGNITY

AND COURAGE

 IN HER  WHEELCHAIR

 TO FACE THEM.  

THEY

 CAME CLOSER TO

 HER.

EACH

 BENT DOWN TO

 HER.

AND WHISPERED.

I AM SORRY.

I AM SO SORRY.

I AM SO VERY  SORRY.

THREE STRANGE MEN,

BEGGING FORGIVENESS

 FOR ANOTHER MANS SINS

 UPON HIS WIFE.

SEEING THEMSELVES

AND WHAT

THEY

 HAD DONE.

AND WHAT

 THEY

WILL BECOME.

SORRY.

BROKEN.

AFRAID.

ALONE.

AND I WEPT TOO.

FOR THEM.

ALL OF THEM.

FOR ME.

AND OTHERS

 LIKE ME.

AND

 FOR THE WOMEN

 WHO NEVER GOT TO HEAR

THOSE THREE WORDS.

I

 AM

SORRY.

FOR THE  WOMEN

 WHOSE BODIES, MINDS AND SPIRITS

WILL REMAIN

 ETERNALLY

 BROKEN.

STOP ABUSE.

BY: PAM GALLO

Copyright: 2000/2008

The Helpless Do Not Survive Abuse