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A Walk In Her Shoes

Putting on her running shoes Walking in them for a mile Opening up my mind Living her life for a while Thoughts running rampant Despair is building fast Hopelessness and frustration Leaves me feeling aghast "How can he love me He hits me with his fist I live in constant fear That I will get him pissed Will he like my clothes today Will I say something wrong It seems I do nothing right Just how with him do I belong He tells me I am worthless That I don't have a brain He wants to control me He's driving me insane Maybe he will stop one day When I behave how he wishes Maybe if I lose some weight Or cook all his favorite dishes" I bore him two precious children I try hard to be a loving wife We exchanged vows before god Will this be my sentence for life He said if I leave I won't survive I'm useless and past my prime That he hopes I don't get killed That accidents happen all the time" My mile walk is completed I'm relieved taking off her shoes I must try to convince her She doesn't deserve this abuse Women shelters are available Friends will show their support Your children need you happy Stop cutting your self worth short You have so much to offer You're generous, witty and kind Embrace a safe and loving life Leave the battered one behind You'll learn to love yourself Then true happiness will begin Never again will you live in fear Just embrace the strength within 03/ 17/ 2014

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Rob Bettridge

Date: 2/8/2015 8:22:00 PM

Well written and right on the money. Sadly, This is happening more than is reported. There are many women who have been 'Conditioned' to believe that this treatment is the norm and exist within relationship parameters that they have been conditioned to whether they change partners or not. It is a condition that is not what they like but is one that they are accustomed to.

Robert Andrew Lyle

Date: 5/10/2014 3:50:00 PM

What a powerful piece Cecilia this hit me as I was scrolling through your Acrostics purely on the fly as Macfarlane is an Irish name probably planters not sure but you certainly have the knack of the pen. Kudos. Andy

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 5/10/2014 7:18:00 PM

Thanks Andy. Actually my surname is Scottish,although I read some Macfarlane's did move to Ireland, my grandmother was Irish : )

Monterey Sirak

Date: 4/23/2014 6:21:00 AM

Powerful piece! Abuse is a cage and the door is locked when a woman starts believing the abuser's lies and loses her sense of self worth and hope. Congrats on your win.

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 4/26/2014 12:45:00 PM

Exactly! Thanks for stopping by the read.Hugs

Seren Roberts

Date: 4/21/2014 10:45:00 PM

Cecilia, congrats, such a painful subject, well written ...Seren

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 4/22/2014 3:23:00 PM

Thanks Seren

Poet Destroyer A

Date: 4/21/2014 6:38:00 PM

Hi Cecilia, , Loved how you extracted this one away. Congratulations, this is a great win, for such a painful and realistic theme, when writing about this topic, In which phantom's around Abused Women. Have a nice day:) ~LINDA

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 4/22/2014 3:05:00 PM

Thanks Linda, I hope you are having a wonderful spring so far. Hugs

Joe Flach

Date: 4/21/2014 4:23:00 PM

Nicely done Cecilia - I am not at all surprised to see your name on the winners list! Thank you for entering the contest. I think you did a wonderful job with this theme and empathizing with the abused woman by "walking a mile in her shoes". You might want to consider one minor correction should you pass this wonderful poem along - 2nd to last stanza - 2nd line - change "Your" to "You're". Thanks. Joe

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 4/21/2014 5:35:00 PM

Thank you so much Joe .....did you guess it was mine with the typo, lol. Hope you having a wonderful spring. Hugs

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 3/29/2014 9:37:00 AM

I enjoyed reading this one again. A big hug to you Cecilia.

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 3/20/2014 9:20:00 PM

yes, you are so right!! What you said to me below.

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 3/20/2014 8:43:00 AM

I like the added stanza, well done!

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 3/20/2014 3:55:00 PM

Thanks so much Rick. Hugs

Andrea Dietrich

Date: 3/18/2014 4:17:00 PM

very nicely written about in rhyme! I hear stories of some poor women who cannot even escape to a woman's shelter because the man is keeping such close tabs on her. It's simply outrageous that women must live in fear for their lives!

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 3/20/2014 3:57:00 PM

Thanks Andrea, I tweaked and added another verse to this poem. Fear is what makes them stay.

Richard Lamoureux

Date: 3/18/2014 9:40:00 AM

You have told my mom's story and thankfully she had the courage to finally stay away from my dad and find the love she deserved. A very touching write Cecilia. This one hits close to home.

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 3/18/2014 5:44:00 PM

Thanks Rick.....so sorry for the abuse your mother suffered and anguish both you and your mom endured. Happy she found the strength to escape him. Hugs

Sara Kendrick

Date: 3/18/2014 6:59:00 AM

Great work about abuse..It should never happen..We need men who are the kind of human beings that they should be so that our women are safe in this world..Thanks for the visit to my page..Sara

Cecilia Macfarlane
Date: 3/20/2014 3:59:00 PM

Thanks Sara, it's a sad reality that this abuse occurs much too frequently. Hugs