How to Mend a Man

Musings on the cycle of domestic violence.

How to Mend a Man

 

They say Eve was made from Adam’s rib

But hers are bruised and broken

He was handsome, he was glib

Artfully well-spoken.

 

And when he’s mean she tells herself

It’s just the tonic talking

He just needs love, he just needs help

She’s in too deep to go walking.

 

Blackened eyes and broken hands

Are all just tools to mend a man

Fate is fate, it’s what God planned

She’ll make him change; she knows she can.

 

It’s sick, but there’s a part of her

That craves the roller coaster

She’s the villain, then the martyr

In a love that feels like poker.

 

She reads those books and horoscopes

In search of the essentials

She’ll buy stitches and a stethoscope

To fix him for his potential.

 

There’s something she finds comforting

In the peace that comes right after

She takes his hits, all while knowing

There’s someone just as fractured. 

 

Reviews

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I've often told others that you can't change anyone but yourself. And there's nobody you should try to "better than" except the person you were yesterday. The true measure of a man in my opinion is the amount of restraint he is willing and able to place upon himself. All that brash bravado and macho alpha dog crap is just a little boy's way of trying to escape the fact of his own immaturity and childishness. The narcissists and hedonists are a dime a dozen and not worth a collective nickel. Love is hard work, responsibility and sacrifice. But you won't find many folks saying they want to "fall" into that. But any guy who's not willing or able to swallow his own ego to make his lady happy isn't worth his weight in salt. This write was artfully crafted, the rhyme scheme was well executed and the subject matter was very smartly dealt with. Great work. F.

[Ella Simone]

Thank you so much for your insight!

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I grew up in an abusive household and now in my mid life the trauma still resonates in my soul. What is a child to think when hearing his father lay hands on his mother and proclaim it is out of love? How is a boy to react when the mother enables these actions that stray to her children by saying "he will change I just need to love him more." The behavior becomes inherent when it is seen as acceptable by the victims. Sins of the father and mother have lasting effect on the children by shaping their attitudes and moral justifications. I know this to be true because of those scars which impact my life to this day. Thank you for sharing this important poem with us.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

she might have been made from one of his ribs, but she needs to break his.
I happen to be watching Bionic Woman when reading this. If only the woman in this poem could be Jamie Summers for a moment...and teach her Adam a thing or two, and leave him unstitched.
Don't need a stethoscope to feel the pulse of this poem. It is powerful.
j.