DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DESTROYS
YOUR HEART MIND AND SOUL
IT TAKES YOUR PRIDE
YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR GOALS


YOU FEEL HELPLESS AND
CONFRONTED AND TERRIBLY ALONE
IF YOU ARE NOT TO AFRAID
YOU MAY SEEK HELP ON THE PHONE


YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
REALLY DON'T KNOW YOUR PAIN
YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW
SHOULD YOU GO OR REMAIN


IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT
YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG
YOU DEFINITELY SHOULD NOT STAY
WHERE YOU DON'T BELONG


YOU MUST THINK OF YOURSELF
AND YOUR PRECIOUS KIDS
IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT THAT
YOUR PARTNER IS ON THE SKIDS


THE PERPETRATORS OF THIS VIOLENCE
SHOULD BE HELD TO ACCOUNT
BEFORE THEIR UNTOLD DAMAGE
REALLY BEGINS TO MOUNT


SO LOOK INSIDE YOUR SOUL
AND GATHER YOUR STRENGTH
FOR YOUR PASSION MUST BE TRUE
AND YOUR COMMITMENT HAVE LENGTH


SO WHEN YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE
YOUR SOUL WILL SORE
FOR YOUR KIDS AND YOU
WILL BE FREE FOREVER MORE

Place a battered hand on my innocence,

It's been 5 years but a scar never leaves,

A closed mouth pleads the best for help.

All my life I've been speechless only because when

I lift up my shirt and I can still see your handprint

Everyday

I still face what is the false indication of love, never got a hug but a hard closed fist.

All because of my innocence.

I gave someone an inch, they dragged me for miles.
Called me "*******"; some laughed but no one smiled.
Now I'm suffering like this, this bastardized trial.
Lovers that hit while they kiss its the standard I've reviled
I'm tired. I admit I'm soured to the pit.
But this fire that's within is like the flowers to the kids.

One* discovered love affair
Two  blue- black eyes
Three  antique vases crashing
Four  uncovered lies
Four  Children huddle, scared, plus one*  trapped in the womb
Six  hours of shouting—will it end soon?
Seven  horrifying sleepless nights
Eight  hours worried at school about inevitable fights
Nine  attempts to pick the bedroom lock
Successful, she sees her mother bloodied and in shock
Ten the age when she learned not to trust men
Would you like to count again?

~Same Hand~

Embraced by the hand
that holds you,
Touched by the hand
that loves you,
Struck by the same hand
that hits you.

You know that he loves you, because he tells you so,
You know that he hates you, when he leaves and has to go,
You know that he misses you, because he returns,
You hate to let him in, because it's your heart that burns.

Embraced by the hand
that holds you,
Touched by the hand
that loves you and
Struck by the same hand
that hits you.

He makes you cry often enough to damage your heart,
The tears fall when you believe that he likes to be apart,
You want him to hold you and tell you "sorry & it's okay,"
Knowing it wouldn't last throughout the day.

Embraced by the hand
that holds you,
Touched by the hand
that loves you,
Hit by the same hand
that struck you,

And you were...
Struck by the same hand
that loved you,
The same hand
that loved you,
Is the same hand
that killed you.

Maybe I've been mistaking red for pink.
Maybe I'm not as safe as I think.
I think I better stay in my bed.
I think maybe, oh baby, you want me dead.

Baby you petrify me.
Preserve my soul so I'll never die, please?
Nobody will ever find me.
Sweetie, I swear I'll never leave.

Only you see who I am.
You love me as hard as you possibly can.
Only I know who you are.
You wished for true love on a shooting star.

I promise I'll be happy in time.
I promise I'll get used to calling you mine.
Darling, you're losing control.
Get a grip on your mind or you'll swallow me whole!

You know I'll never try that again.
I'll be here in your arms 'til the bittersweet end.
You'll have to take precautions of course,
Clip my feathers to ensure I'm yours.

Honey, it's clear I'm yours alone.
I wait for hours each day until you get home.
Don't you see I'm better alive?
This love will be perfect if you let me survive.