Love Is Not Abuse
by Morgan M.

The sharp glare of car lights seep through the blinds.
Knowing what will come, I cringe.

He slams the car door,
Fearfully I pray.
Please…don’t be like this again.

Opening the door, he straggles into the kitchen.
Without invitation or hesitation he feasts, on the meal I slaved for him.
Not one order or word is required,
For I know that I am only allowed to fast and to feast with an empty plate.

As he watches the television,
His fist is curled around his scotch glass.

I slowly drift off to sleep.
Painfully I am jarred awake.
My soul, my body is too weak to tell him no.

In the morning he leaves again.
No “I love you” touches my straining ears.

When I wore that dress of white
Did I toss away my bouquet of happiness?
How did the sound of my wedding bells turn to peals of mourning?

His silence is swiftly cutting.
His demands are demeaning.

My heart is now shredded,
My soul is now battered and broken.
But my mind,
My mind is still masterful.