Ripple

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 instantaneous. It was a gradual progression as she struggled to regain the identity and self-esteem he had destroyed. The following is a poem I wrote of her self-awakening and escape.

A ripple

Bigger than she knew she would create

A forbidden interruption to his rule

A ripple

The beginning of clarity

A chilling self-portrait revealed

A ripple

She found she was more than her marks, more than her bruises

A cup of fury she became

A ripple

She rejected his words, refused to drink his poison any longer

A stand was taken

A ripple

Away from the fire she ran, his flames attempting a pursuit

A step to save her spirit

A ripple

Free from his reach, safe from his painful grip, she breathes

A new beginning

A ripple

Each scar tells a story

A story she'll wear to remember

A ripple