WaterColours - A poem

Photo credits: Pexels

Today...let's take a moment to remember the casualties of war who have been affected by the tendrils of domestic violence.  Their names, their stories, their lives are all significant and have great meaning.  If you know a survivor of domestic violence, give her a hug and remind her what a courageous and strong person she is.  Remind her that she is a winner and that her life has purpose.  She is more than just that experience.  It doesn't need to define her...

Today, I share a poem inspired by all the women I've known who have endured the violence.  I remember the things I've seen.  I remember their faces.  I remember their stories.  I celebrate their lives.  I remember....

WaterColours

 

His love appears as

Watercolours across the plains of her face
Lavender strokes of touches
That should be tender
But fell shy of warm sentiment
Leaving maroon tints of frustration
Upon delicate skin

Her screams sound like lullabies

To his demon infested ears
Gaining momentum in his outrage
From each frantic, primal cry
A cadence he has grown accustomed to

He calls her beautiful

Wiping away tears that should never have been
Applying a gentle hand
To freshly bruised skin
As though it were a precious work of art
A masterful sculpture
Being molded into the visions of his mind

Each time tempers flare

Tears mingle with blood
Forming ringlets down the swollen
Distorted face
Of a young queen who has never known
Her lineage
Never felt the blood of her predecessors
Flowing through her veins

His love appears as

Watercolours across the plains of her face
Midnight hued reminders of the last time
She rubs the lingering soreness
Glances in the mirror
And wonders if this is what beauty
Really looks like

Pretending to herself that no one knows

Creating new excuses
For marks left unexplained
Too embarrassed to tell
Desperately wanting to leave
Not sure she knows how

Holding fast to the belief
That if she just tried harder
Done better
Was a good girl
Maybe he wouldn’t punish her so
Maybe he would learn by her example
To give a loving hand

But he only calls her beautiful

After he has marked her skin
Leaving scars far more lasting
Inside
Away from the daylight

Serving up abuse like breakfast
Her stomach quivers in nervous anticipation
She knows the signs
Knows what comes next
Dreads what comes next

She doesn’t know how to leave
Isn’t really sure she should
Hoping he will change
Their reality into the dreams of her mind
The dreams she had in her youth
After she saw momma
Go through the same thing

Become a victim at the hands

Of her lover
She has become her mother
So she continues to wear the watercolours
Of his love upon her face
Until one day the inkwell has run dry…

Copyright 2000 Tumika Patrice Cain ~ WaterColours
Published in After the Rain...a Poetry Collective

Changing lives one word at a time...Tumika Patrice Cain

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Tumika Patrice Cain is an award-winning author, media personality, and motivational speaker. Through her imprint, Inkscriptions Publishing & Media Group, she provides high quality, affordable, mentor-based publishing services to indie authors, as well as inspired, empowering messages of hope and abundance through her media outlets. Her works can be found in many publications, including Fresh Lifestyle Magazine. To learn more about Tumika, her books, and her services visit the following websites. http://www.TumikaPatrice.com and http://www.InkscriptionsPMG.com