Impasse

Cherry

By Silver Spun Sand

Mon, 06 Sep 2010
  • 3248 reads
15 comments
 

Last month – a broken jaw;
this week – a dislocated elbow.
You know you need help
but who to turn to? It’s not
your fault, but they’d never
believe you. You neglect her
she says. Don’t let her know
you love her enough; that’s when
something snaps...Kid yourself
it won’t happen again,
until it does.

So you tell her you’ll leave –
she can have the TV – the car...
small price to pay for some kind
of self-respect; yet, she won’t
hear of that and you’re shit-scared
of what she’d do if you did. But
every man has his limits; so how long
can you go on turning the other cheek?
Only there’s nowhere to run...
on a dead-end street.

Certificate 15
Silver Spun Sand Poems
Love

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on
was this inspired by a newspaper article today Tina? i think I might have read the same one

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Yes it indeed was, insert. There was also a guy on BBC Breakfast news this morning whose story I found quite moving...Hence, this poem. Thanks for noticing;-) Tina

 

Submitted by Highhat on
I think you captured the essence of some sort of abuse. Am I right ? Very well done ;) pia

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Yes, you are indeed right, pia. We are all familiar with the unfortunate plight of many women who suffer physical abuse at the hands of their male partners, but little publicity is given to men who suffer the like from their female partners. The man I refer to, highlighted by the media yesterday, was a case in point. After months of unspeakable violence against him by his partner a neighbour alerted the police and the woman responsible is serving 7 years for grievous bodily harm. Prior to this, he was given refuge by the Salvation Army, as their are very few 'safe-houses' for men. Thank you for reading and for your interest;-) Tina

 

Submitted by Highhat on
I'm glad you treated the topic with sencerity! Thanks for explaining. ;)pia

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
You are more than welcome, pia;-)

 

Submitted by Highhat on
sincerity ;)

Submitted by MistakenMagic on
I love the rhythm and use of rhyme and half-rhyme in this one, Tina. The whole poem flows beautifully and it's great that you tackled such a little-known subject, bringing many issues to light. Well done on the cherry! Magic xxx

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Many thanks, Magic, for your 'in-depth' appreciation of this. A tricky subject to tackle, and as you say, not one that is widely acknowledged. Oh...and thanks for noticing the poem's structure. Means a lot, as you will appreciate, only too well. Have a good week;-) Tina xxx

 

Submitted by rjnewlyn on
Well done. As you say, it's not an easy subject - runs counter to the grain of what literature and poetry usually have as their 'balance'. I liked the way it wasn't that obvious - makes the reader think and pay attention. Rob

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Thanks, Rob...your thoughts, as ever, highly valued;-) Tina

 

Submitted by darkenwolf on
You handle the subject well - i think some of these campaigns against violence would do well to use it well done ;)

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Thanks, darkenwolf;-) More than appreciated. Tina

 

Submitted by Beeme on
Sorry I'm late Tina. I've been busy with editing the October abctales magazine! I really like the sincerity and honesty in this piece, I think it's beautifully written and as always, such a bold message told in a very tactful way. Well done on the cherry-richly deserved in my opinion :) Beeme xx

k.

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on
Great to hear from you Beeme. I must admit to being a little concerned as I hadn't 'seen' you around lately. I was so relieved when I realised it was because you were busy with the magazine. Thanks for taking time out to read this, and I wish you every success with the October issue, which I have no doubt it will be;-) Tina xx