They tell her, it’s not their place.
Say, he’s always been good to me.
Say, she should have left sooner.
They say a lot of things,
but never the ones that matter.
Her black eye is a private matter.
Her broken ribs, just a lover’s spat.
Her ******? A tragedy—
but never a crime until her name
is trending in the headlines.
When she packed her bags,
they called her selfish for breaking the family.
When she stayed,
they called her weak for not leaving.
But where was she supposed to go?
Shelters with no room?
A courtroom where his lies outweigh her bruises?
A graveyard where they’d whisper,
She should have known better?
They say, not all men.
Say, he was under stress.
Say, he’s a good dad,
as if a man who leaves his children hungry,
their mother in pieces,
is anything but a walking threat.
And you—
the man who doesn’t hit,
but laughs at the ones who do.
The one who turns away when your friend grabs her wrist too hard.
The one who stays silent when your coworker brags,
"I keep my woman in line."
You are part of this.
You are why she doesn’t call for help.
Why she learns to stitch her own wounds in silence.
Why she dies and they ask what she did to deserve it.
The system says, report him.
Then calls her bitter.
Then hands him weekends with the children—
the same children he left cowering behind locked doors.
And when she’s gone, they’ll ask:
Why didn’t she say something?
But all she ever did was scream
into a void of indifferent men,
silent women,
and a world that let her be hunted.
So hear this now:
If you know, speak.
If you see, stop him.
If you call yourself an ally, act.
Because the only men who fear consequences
are the ones who know they deserve them.
"Bruised by Silence, Built on Indifference" is a poignant and unflinching exploration of domestic violence and societal complicity. Through powerful imagery and stark language, the poem confronts the indifference that often surrounds victims of abuse, highlighting the painful realities they face when seeking help or escaping their situations.
The poem critiques the harmful narratives that blame victims for their circumstances while calling out those who remain silent or dismissive in the face of violence. It challenges readers to recognize their roles—whether as bystanders or enablers and urges them to take action against abuse rather than perpetuating a culture of silence.
With its raw emotional depth and compelling call to allyship, this piece serves as both a reflection on systemic failures and a rallying cry for change. It speaks directly to the heart of the struggle many women endure, making their pain visible and demanding that we all become part of the solution.
