She

This poem reflects the struggle of abuse I experienced and the fear it caused, I felt incredibly trapped. I felt isolated and I was living with daily physical and mental abuse. Speaking with women’s aid encouraged me to leave. Just before I left I felt God’s hand on my life- my heart felt full for the first time in years. It’s understanding that none of what is spoken over you is NOT true and that you are worthy of love. You are beautiful. You are loved. The abuse I experienced and the abuse others experience is unacceptable, it should not be tolerated. Abusers seeks out our vulnerability and they abuse emotionally, physically, sexually, financially. They see what we could be, they are afraid of us and our potential. Every woman deserves to be loved and treated with kindness. This is a photo after I left my abuser I married the kindest man, this was me on our wedding day, I had wings added to my dress- I’m free of abuse, I spread my wings and show other women they can be free, there is freedom in love.

She As she looked in the mirror and searched for herself, she seemed to disappear She heard the door slam shut, her heart began racing in fear She hid in a cupboard, crouching listening to figure out if she would be hurt again Foot steps stomped up the stairs, the door flung open, she was dragged out and felt a sudden pain That evening as her back hurt and she could see the bruising She felt confusion Was love supposed to be this sore? Could she really keep taking beatings more and more? She stood inside of her gilded cage He told her the dishes were wet and she felt the brunt of his rage. She found a letter from another women The humiliation of his disloyalty- she came to realise he was not a good human Breathing lightly, slowly not to disturb the bear She felt a sudden blow to her head, she didn’t seem to care This was a nightly routine, she breathed too loudly, suffered blow after blow She could not find the strength to go The crisp cold air she struggled to catch her breath He had told her the only way she would leave was through her own death She began to carry out her final escape Then she felt a hand and stopped- this was the end of the domestic abuse and rape The chains were broken She became out spoken She left everything behind- she described leaving as the chains on her wings being broken, her wings stretched out, head raised high, adorning her freedom for all to see The women she could truly be. [Image description: An image of a woman in a long, white wedding dress. She has dark wavy hair and is facing away from the camera. She is holding her hands up in the air.]