caged

There will be someone reading this poem,
Who feels trapped with a sense of fear,
A woman who suffers in silence,
A woman who has shed many tears.

For days on end she has suffered abuse,
Feeling trapped like a bird in a cage,
She must choose her words very carefully,
So as not to set him off in a rage.

He appears now to derive great pleasure,
In criticizing all the things she will do,
And from time to time he will slap her,
Making sure that she knows he rules.

She cringes at the thought of bedtime,
For his pleasure he will then seek her touch,
It's the only time he will whisper to her,
That he loves her so very much.

Soon after when he closes his eyes in sleep,
She quietly makes her way to the den,
Sitting in tears and silence she asks,
When in God's name will it end.

When morning comes he will greet her,
With silence that can be cut with a knife,
While she sits at the table without uttering a word,
Afraid he will remind her she's his wife!

If only she could summon the courage to call,
A shelter where she knows she'd be safe,
Make arrangements to flee for her life while he's gone,
Never again wearing bruises on her face.

Only too soon she hears his footsteps,
And once again her heart starts to pound,
Awaiting harsh words or the slap of his hand,
She sits frozen without making a sound.

Then later that night while lying in bed,
She says prayers to the good Lord above,
Asking for courage and the strength that she needs,
To escape from this make believe love.

In the morning the husband sits sullen and still,
When he realizes that he's now all alone,
His wife's prayers had finally been answered,
In the still of night, she left the cage, he called home.

~valentyne~ ©