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This is a poem I wrote about a woman I dated many years ago. She had moved to Kentucky the year before, on the run from a horrifically abusive man. She lived in constant fear he would find her. She would sometimes physically shake when talking to me about him. Like many victims of abuse, she was made to believe the beatings she suffered were her fault. She was caught in the cycle of abuse, hoping and believing his promises to change were true. They weren't. Her escape was not

Through the darkest of waters she swam To a shore unkind she set her course A plea was given yet she would not relent She swam for her desire, though her heart knew nothing Nectar was offered but she would not drink A song was sung but she would not hear She thought only of the one who would do her ill For him she swam through the darkest of waters Beyond the horizon, a wave loomed high A distance too great to intervene The sun paused to watch and the wind turned to see My ey

1982... my freshman year in high school. Soccer was my sport and time-killer. The city's best goalie lived four doors down from my house, and a great striker (forward) lived two doors further. Nearly every day after school, the three of us practiced soccer at a church field across the road. Soon, I became better with my feet than my hands (or so I thought). One afternoon, on a Saturday, I rode with a friend to a girl's house. My friend liked this girl and was about to ask he