COWARD

 
He said it wouldn’t happen again  
His words goes round and round in her head  
The reflection staring back from the mirror  
Shows the result of another false promise  
She traces the black eye forming  
Wipes the blood away from her bust lip  
The confident woman she once was gone  
Over the years his cruel words  
Penetrated her soul  
Self-esteem a distant memory  
His words started to sound like the truth  
She thought his protectiveness meant love  
At the beginning when he wanted to spend all his time with her  
She was so caught up in false reality  
She never noticed how he was distancing her from friends and family  
Ignored voices of loved ones concerns  
They pleaded with her to leave  
Another fairy tale escaped her lips  
Of how she got yet another black eye  
Every time he lashed out he blamed her for provoking him  
He shed false tears as she wiped up he own blood  
And put a cold flannel to her eye  
She thought he was the one  
Someone she had always longed for  
When she got him she was so happy  
He treated her like a queen  
The abuse started slowly  
Raised voice then the odd cruel word became more frequent  
The first slap in the face  
Was a sign that all is not right  
But she blamed her self  
She must have done something wrong  
Wasn’t good enough  
So blinded by love she couldn’t see the truth  
In her delusional mind it was because he loved her so much  
Her sister begs her to leave before it’s too late  
That one day his beatings will go too far  
And that this is not how love is  
That he does not even love himself  
She tells her any man that inflicts any abuse on his woman  
Is not someone worth having  
And that it does not make him a man  
It shows him for what he is weak  
That’s why he prefers her broken  
A shadow of herself  
Isolated and confused  
Emotionally damaged  
So that she will not see him for what he truly is  
A coward