another Prison series

another Prison series

with a slight flinch

she shies away from her life

covers her ears to the boredom

of his fisticuff voice

puts on her prettiest dress

to go out on the town

then shuts herself in a drawer

until the sound subsides

he is in her closet 

ripping her hopes to shreds

she cries where his eyes cannot laugh

dreams of escaping from her fractured fairytale

watches the credits roll on TV

(she's not allowed to turn up the volume

it interferes with his verbal assault)

scans the program guide for release...

unplugs.

erin-cilberto

10/7/23

Reviews

[D. Mansfield]

There is a special place in hell for people who abuse their women. " in the inner rings of hell, they stack you like cord wood" very well written

[jacob erin-cilberto]

stacks and stacks.
Thank you, D.

[John the Baptist]

I used to run into these situations when I was a crisis counselor. Verbally (and sometimes physically) abused wife, literally imprisoned by an abusive husband. Sometimes these guys end up with kitchen knives embedded in the hollows of their throats. Probably not enough, though.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, certainly not enough.
Thank you for your understanding, John,
j.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Now this left me cold. The picture you paint of how abuse feels is so stark and brutal and told oh so well.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, John.
Something I feel very, very strongly about.

[Chris Shaw]

A depressing saga of control and abuse. Her fairytale has become her prison.

his fisticuff voice says so much.

The third stanza inflicts the most damage. It takes years to recover from this type of torture. Some don’t . Hard hitting J. So much of it about and on occasions the roles are reversed.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you for understanding, Chris.
My favorite T-shirt I own says, "Women's Rights are Human Rights"
I wish men everywhere would remember that.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

You are a star J.