This is something I wrote to commemorate the " International Day of the Elimination of Volence against Women, which was on November 25th..
I knew from his weight on the stairs
what was to become of me that night
But I had a plan, an exit, a way of flight
Our child was out of house, would never know
THAT is what I constantly told myself so...
And as HE banged the door against the wall
And tore off the blanket from my body
I pretended to be dazed, incoherently groggy
As his hand came down on me,
he suddenly fell backwards, quite sloppily
for he was far too drunk to see...
and when he grabbed my ankle as I tried to flee,
I used that bottle of pepper spray
you once gave me
I feverishly sprayed his eyes closed
Until that bottle dispensed no more
I fled as quickly as my feet could master
Down those steps faster and faster
I ran through the night, torn and shattered
to a place where I knew I would finally matter
To that shelter I used to walk by all those years ago
To a place of refuge, a home to mend my broken bones.
From that day on, I became another woman
I helped those who were once powerless, afraid and broken.
There is hope, you need to believe
You can stop the cycle, you can try to leave
...amp...
.