Domestic War?

"In the process of my evolution, I became a victim of domestic war, an emotional casualty for a major portion of my life, entwined, entrapped and emotionally involved, until I learned how to become free".~Sara Niles

~In the United States, More than 1.1 million or 7% of women and 720,000 or 4% of men have been victims of some kind of domestic abuse in the past year, official crime figures reveal. All over the world acts of violence within a family unit occur out of the referenced statistics, there are many that are not reported as speaking out comes with shame, guilt, remorse, and fear. I was recently in a gathering and a very eloquent speaker was talking about abuse, out of the 13 participants in the room of women all but one had experienced some form of sexual, physical, mental, or emotional abuse in their childhood and after. Sigh! Speaking out about abusive experiences takes a lot of courage, as the most darkest times of your shattered life become transparent to opinion, ridicule, or even judgement. It is important that we continue to speak up about these horrific experiences and begin to educate victims on the vicious cycle that entraps them. We all have emotional battles, scars, and trials in our lives...the difference is that when another person inflicts power over and hurts you through acts of violence it is not 'normal' anymore. It becomes a jailhouse! Life becomes all about survival, all about protection, all about coping! The greatest emotional damage is that the individuals that take advantage of you say they love you! They wear you down! You begin to adapt, you begin to believe you are not worthy, you begin to disconnect, you begin to lose what it meant to be free. The victimization becomes a reality! The wounds run deep and the healing takes time, commitment, and work! Becoming a survivor, taking off the shackles of abuse has also been my story...a very traumatic journey that taught me so much! The most important thing has been compassion, mostly for myself! And even though circumstance made us victims, it is important to empower our thinking and know that we survived and stretched to stop the abuse within ourselves even after the fact! Any individual going through these situations, you are not alone! There are resources and help! Lift the veil of fear and Speak up!!! The cycle ends with you!!!

She was a shell

Empty and alone

Where could she go?

Who could she tell?

Was easier to stay

To accept defeat

Everyone told her

That's the way it should be.

They all looked away

and left her alone

they turned their heads

to any broken bones

They told her to be strong

for that was the plan

Her only goal

should be to please her man

She did her best

She gave it her all

When asked "What happened?"

She said

"Oh, Just a fall"

Years went by

she learned to adapt

she learned how not

to make him mad

She learned how to please

Just what to say

She learned to make sure

HE had a good day

Those looking on could not see?

Would not see?

The pain that was so deep inside of me

Was it easier to just look away?

Distance and time

closed for me

there was a hand that

could be reached

A hand with a face

from the past

A hand that only for a

short time would last

I held on to that hand

with all my might

I pulled myself up

I learned how to fight

A year has past

And now I see

just how wonderful

life should be

Written in celebration of my freedom

Dedicated to the face from the past,

✿ܓUnknown, Survivor