"In Her Shoes" - A Poem by a Survivor of Abuse

Her eye is black,
Her nose bleeds red,
Yet she still has to sleep with him,
In the same bed.

He says he's sorry,
One more time,
She numbs her pain,
With a glass of wine.

Her children fight,
And swear, and yell,
Her life becomes a living hell.

She knows the reason
This is so,
Unfortunately,
It's all they know.

If you had the option to choose,
Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

Whatever goes wrong,
She gets the blame,
It's all a part of his
controlling game.

He tells her she's old,
And stupid, and fat,
As he threatens her with a baseball bat.

The police arrive,
Once again...
This is visit number ten.

He tells them yet another lie,
Will she ever get out,
Or will she die?

If you had the option to choose,
Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

He says the Law's,
Not on her side,
And if she leaves,
He won't provide.

He monitors,
Her every move,
Her whereabouts,
She has to prove.

With any man,
That she may meet,
He accuses her,
Of being a cheat.

She can't go out,
He takes her phone,
She lives in fear,
Of the unknown.

If you had the option to choose,
Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

In a fetal position,
On her bed,
She wonders if,
She's better off dead.

She feels so alone,
She feels trapped,
All of her energy and resources,
have been tapped.

The things he says,
Don't hold much merit,
But they're enough,
To break her spirit.

She works so hard,
To try to hide,
The stress and hurt,
She feels inside.

If you had the option to choose,
Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

What is the reason
That makes her stay?
The children, money...
She sees no way?

It's all too much,
To untwist,
The things that have happened,
Too many to list.

Physical, verbal,
Emotional trauma,
A life filled with,
Too much drama.

The things she"s been through,
Make it hard to cope,
She feels like,
There is no hope.

If you had the option to choose,
Would you walk a mile in her shoes?

She loses perspective,
So easily,
To the things he says,
She'll comply and agree.

He says the children,
He's going to keep,
If she ever leaves,
This makes her weep.

She's convinced,
There's nowhere to turn,
Unaware,
Of all she can learn.

She can begin to heal,
And regain her sanity,
With the help of,
The Center for Women and Families.

So TODAY, you have the option to choose,
Do you have the strength to walk a mile in her shoes?