Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Published: October 2020
Domestic violence is more prevalent than many realize. People on the outside might not always see it, but far too many people live a nightmare with an abusive spouse or significant other. People are living in fear of the person who is supposed to love them. They are living through situations that bring harm to them physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually.
October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it’s a chance to educate the public about this terrible reality. If you are in an abusive relationship, there is hope for you. You are strong, and you are worth so much more than your current situation. There are people who long to help you. We encourage you to reach out to someone you trust or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233). Someone is waiting to talk to you and help you take the next step to break free from an abusive relationship. We hope that by reading the stories of these poets, you see that you are not alone.
23 Poems About Domestic Abuse
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1. Returning Faith
in Abuse Poems
You took away my innocence,
My hopes, my dreams, my youth.
You took from me my very soul.
What could have been, I never knew.
Your words would cut me deep inside,
Deep to the very core.
Darkness. Cold. I could not feel.
Why did you hate me so?
You crushed me as I screamed in pain.
Your words ripped out my heart.
The world grew dull. I felt insane.
Did you ever care about that part?
Is that what you wanted all along?
"I win!" "You lose!" A game?
Control, submission, guilt, defeat.
Yet, I still remain.
It was for a child that I lived,
Although I rather would have died.
Now, how I thank God for that child?
Because of her, I have survived.
I will live in spite of you.
You no longer have a say.
My life, my body, my mind, my soul,
You will never again have control.
Whether in this world or in the next,
Justice will have a way.
You hurt me and you almost won,
But, "You Lost!" I have to say.
A new dawn breaks of hope and peace,
Of happiness and grace.
From me, these things YOU CANNOT TAKE.
My head held high, I walk by faith!Featured Shared StoryAs I read this Poem, it touched me very deeply because I myself can relate to the same situation and there's always HOPE! Thank you for sharing!
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2. Abuse
in Abuse Poems
He pulls my hair.
He slaps my face.
He kicks me on the floor.
I love him so much,
So I don't have the strength
To walk right out the door.
There's blood on my face.
Everything hurts,
And all I can do is cry.
I made him mad,
So this is what he does.
I wish I knew his reason why.
My heart won't let me leave him,
And it hurts too much to try.
I wonder if this is how my life will be
From now until I die.
He says he's sorry.
He takes me in his arms.
He even starts to cry.
I tell him I forgive him
And that everything is fine.
For now at least because I know
It will happen again in time.Featured Shared StoryI can completely relate to your experience. Mine was exactly the same and my thoughts were equal to yours. I was beat 54 separate times and I never could bring myself to call the cops on him....
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3. Her Smile (Pantoum)
in Abuse Poems
Her smile was visible to all,
Showing a dark secret
From an inescapable memory
Because of the lie she kept telling herself.
Showing a dark secret,
The light was dimming
Because of the lie she kept telling herself.
She tried to push the pain aside.
The light was dimming
From an inescapable memory
She tried to push the pain aside.
Her smile was visible to all.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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4. Courage To Leave Abusive Relationship
in Abuse Poems
From the depths of despair when my world fell apart,
I felt all alone and heavy in heart.
My life had been shattered by a tight-fisted hand.
Who could I turn to; who'd understand?
So with no self-esteem and in a broken mess,
I made a decision about my happiness.
I took all my courage I could find
To make a stand for myself and leave him behind.
Those first few months were the loneliest I've been,
But I knew it was worth it not to be hit again.
Again in finding myself, I cried a river of tears,
Learning to love me and facing my fears.Featured Shared StoryThank you- I am finally away from the abusive relationship I was stuck in. He was charged formally by the state and took a plea deal for the two misdemeanors when he held me against my will...
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5. The Monster He's Become
in Abuse Poems
There was a time he loved her.
Now it's clear there's nothing there.
He walks around so flippantly
With no interest or a care.
Through his silence he berates her.
He flaunts the coldness in his eyes.
Neither her tortured sobs nor pleading words
Can make him sympathize.
To him she's just an afterthought,
An object to be used,
A service to be rendered,
A shattered ego to abuse.
He's Dr. Jekyll with the world to see
But Mr. Hyde behind closed doors,
And each time she tries to rise again,
He knocks her back down to the floor.
He has no conscience to control him.
His heart beats for him alone.
She's a peasant to his royalty
As he perches on his throne.
He's a narcissistic bully
Who rubs her wounds with salt.
He degrades, destroys and disregards
Without a guilty thought.
But she fears he'll never let her go
And she knows he'll never change.
Promises are made and broken
But his cruelty still remains.
But time is passing quickly now.
She's in the twilight of her years
And it's her hope and consolation
That her days are numbered here.
But perhaps when she's no longer there
For him to just keep beating down,
He'll see how weak he really is
When there's no one to push around.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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6. Battered Woman
in Abuse Poems
Battered woman,
When are you going to learn?
He doesn't love you.
You're on your own.
The beatings hurt.
The scars ain't gone,
But sooner or later,
Your soul will be torn.
What's it going to take
For you to just leave?
One last hit or until
You can't breathe?
Battered woman,
I know what you're thinking.
It's your fault for what he's doing.
You blame yourself
Over and over again.
You ask yourself
Will this abuse ever end?
He's going to keep doing it.
It's all up to you.
You just have to gain the courage
To move on and start new.
It's not going to be easy.
Take it one day at a time.
The hurt will subside, and you'll finally have
A peace of mind.Featured Shared StoryI am so glad that this poem has touched your heart. This was my life, but I wanted to reach out to the ones who are living my nightmare, hopefully they will be able to take their lives back...
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7. Goodbye To You
I thought you were so cool.
Boy, I was wrong.
I feel like such a fool
for trusting you so long.
It seemed so perfect at first,
and our love seemed so true.
My heart felt like it would burst,
and it was like I flew.
But things got bad.
My friends would often say,
"This is very sad,"
as we fought every day.
I don't like what we've become.
I feel like I'm in a daze.
Am I just dumb?
Because maybe all this is just a phase.
Then, one day,
you punched me in the face.
No way I was going to stay!
I'm not going to forget this.
I knew what I had to do.
I ignored your sorry kiss
and said goodbye to you.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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8. Running From The Bear
in Abuse Poems
I've spent many years now
Running from the bear.
Just when I think you're gone,
You once again are there.
Fear grips like a vise
If you're anywhere around.
I stay quiet and hidden
So that I will not be found.
Overwhelmed by sheer terror
Of another vicious attack,
Praying you won't find me,
But you always circle back.
Adrenaline is now surging,
Giving me the strength to flee.
I run until I can run no more,
And then you catch up to me.
Suddenly you're upon me.
I see the rage in your eyes.
I try so hard to fight you off.
I hear your roar above my cries.
You could do more than frighten me,
For of your strength I am aware,
But you let me go once again
So I can start running from the bear.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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9. Monster
in Abuse Poems
I try to rationalize
it all
as you
tear
right through me.
The monster's back tonight.
Fueled by alcohol
and past conversation,
by rage and
imagination,
you've become a beast
I hardly know
yet know too well.
I can't build walls fast enough
for you.
All these years have taught you well.
The assault
begins,
you're armed
with the thoughts
inside your head,
barbed words and
insinuations.
You leave wounds
no one sees
but me.
The monster's back tonight.
I can't build walls fast enough.
I try to rationalize it
all.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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10. They Don't Know
in Abuse Poems
They don't know
About struggling through the sleepless nights, anticipating that next big fight,
About envisioning that same depressing sight, then staring at it until daylight.
They don't know
About him leaving with her jewelry, her food, her savings, her every possession,
About him leaving with her peace, her trust, her perception of her own reflection.
They don't know
About the way he degraded her, the beatings he gave her,
About the way he enslaved her, how afraid he had made her.
They don't know
About the narcissistic mind games, how he purposely planned her misery,
About the dehumanizing names, how he stripped her of every liberty.
They don't know
About the evil she had absorbed for so many years,
About those desperate screams that preceded the tears.
They don't know
About the pain and the sorrow, when a heavy heart can feel hollow,
About the confusion that will follow just trying to make it til tomorrow.
They don't know
About the beautiful person trapped inside this petrified shell,
About the brave warrior inside that helped her survive this hell.
They don't know
About being manipulated in your own home with constant lies and trickery,
About the overwhelming possibility they'd treat her much differently if they knew her history.
They don't know
About treating this like it's your last chance to help, because it might be,
About treating this like it's your chance to reverse all the pain this girl had to see.
They don't know
About the smiles she forces daily so the pain won't show,
About the fact no one can ever help if they don't know.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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11. Cover Girl
in Abuse Poems
You can cover it with makeup,
foundation caked on,
but you can't cover the hurt;
you can't hide the wrong.
You disguise your eyes
all black and blue,
but, Cover Girl, you can't cover
what that man has done to you.
You can hide a scratch,
you can cover up a mark,
you can pretend he doesn't bite,
you can pretend he doesn't bark.
But some scars can't be made over.
The ones that are already invisible to the eye
are the ones that will remain the longest,
not wanting to say goodbye.
Cover Girl, your work
would put a good makeup artist to shame,
but you work your magic for protection
not fame.
You want to hide the pain you feel
when you see the bite, the bruises, the marks,
but girl that makeup
cannot cover what he's done to your heart.
It's all tattered and torn,
your self worth all gone,
second guessing yourself,
thinking everything you do is wrong.
You monitor your breaths,
you count your steps.
You even count the minutes,
wondering how much time is left
Before your foundation, your concealers,
your blush, and your creams
can no longer hide the punishment
and no longer remove the screams.
Just remember some scars can't be made over.
The ones that are already invisible to the eye
are the ones that will remain the longest,
not wanting to say goodbye.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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12. While I Was Bleeding
in Rape Poems
Where do I begin to explain the beating?
You watched as I sat there bleeding,
You never cared about my feelings.
My hurt had no healing.
Rape after rape, I knew I had to escape,
never allowed to look up,
never allowed to talk.
You beat me so I couldn't walk.
I remember the day I almost died.
You laughed, while I cried.
You beat me so bad while you cursed out my dad!
I could never withstand the pain, you are insane!
You played me like a game..
This time I win, and you; you have committed a sin.
When you burn in hell, which time will only tell,
God will ask you, "Why, why the beating of this woman whom you took to love?
Did you forget who was watching from above?"
Remember when I hid under the bed from you, what was I suppose to do?
You kicked me in my tummy.
I lost our baby and you thought it was funny.
You degraded me and put me in dirt.
You loved to see me hurt.
Now that I have gotten away through my planned escape,
I have no more tears or any fears, but the memory will last for years.
God has blessed me, and now I'm not afraid to see.
I am brave, brave enough to have a child now,
brave enough to have found marriage,
and brave enough to believe in love
thanks to God above...Featured Shared StoryI was abused sexually by an older cousin. He'd put a pillow over my face, tell me to take my nickers off, and then inflict pain on my private areas. He told me he'd kill my brothers, mam, and...
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13. Eternal Sleep
in Abuse Poems
A burning passion,
An internal rage,
A wounded animal
Chained in a cage.
Purplish bruises
Outlined her smooth skin.
She cowered, afraid,
As the pain burned within.
A fist to her ribs,
Cold words in her ear.
Eyes dark and distant
Held unyielding fear.
Shoved and hit hard,
Bruised bones oh so frail.
The dark abyss
Of emotional hell.
Weakened knees gave way
As she fell to weep
And closed her eyes
Praying for eternal sleep.
Featured Shared StoryThis poem reminds me of a little boy killed by his father and stepmother. His name was Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. RIP Arthur, you did not deserve what happened to you.
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14. I Long For My Escape
in Abuse Poems
Lately when I wake each day,
The sunlight hurts my eyes,
And when I think of yesterday,
I want to just curl up and cry.
It seems that life is getting harder,
My sense of loneliness extreme,
My sadness more disabling,
And the abuse now more routine.
I've discovered a reality
That has consumed my very life,
Which is sometimes even breathing
Can become a constant fight.
There are moments so exhausting
From the internal, chronic pain,
That death itself seems like a blessing
Because living life's become my bane.
I thought that age would garner needed peace,
A final freedom for my soul.
But instead, the chaos and the conflict
Have grown worse as I've grown old.
It seems that some of those bad choices
That I made along the way
Remain with me just like my shadow
And will chase me to my grave.
It only takes one other person
To change your life into a hell
And make your home a ceaseless battlefield
Rather than the haven where you dwell.
My compassion and my tolerance
Proved my most pathetic traits.
They were my vices hiding in disguise
That led me to my wretched fate.
I believed in love and people changing.
I overestimated my own skills.
I thought that I could transform anyone
Through my sheer intellect and will.
Now it's far too late for changes now
The Monster's reached his grandest scale
And compared to him in all his glory,
My aged strength and weapons pale.
But I discovered an advantage,
Which I hope to master soon.
Providing that this nightmare
Doesn't render me a hopeless loon.
I now accept my dreary prison,
And I accept there's no escape.
I accept that through this misery
My heart and soul I may forsake.
I have discovered that one's death can come
Even when their heart is beating
And that instead of fighting back sometimes
The wiser move is in retreating.
I will stay silent and invisible.
I won't challenge or debate.
I'll play possum for my enemy
And perhaps I will stay safe.
At last, my fate will rest with God above
And my perdition will be done
Whether the Monster meets his just defeat
Or my own eternal rest will come.Featured Shared StoryNo Stories yet, You can be the first!
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