?
I hear the loud voices behind the wall.

I run in, my mother’s covered in bruises, tears streaming down her face,

“You will never find anyone else! Nobody’s better than me!” is all he screams.

Echoes of me, a broken child screaming “please no more”,

The bruises will fade, but the pain will last forever.

?

I hear the loud voices behind the wall again.

“You will never find anyone else! Nobody’s better than me!” he screams.

Fearful of what I will see next,

I peer in, my mom’s make-up covered bruises are back,

tears revealed her pain.

My echoes grew louder and louder,
"please no more"

The bruises will fade, but the pain will last forever.

?

?

For the last time,

I hear the loud voices behind the wall,

But this time this carries on down the stairs, and outside.

This time she yells “Nobody’s better than me and my kids”,

as her head was thrown onto the ice.

Tears streamed down my face “Nobody’s better than mom”

No more echoes of mine, just the echoes of sirens.

The bruises will fade, but the pain lasts forever.

?

?

I hear my mother’s voice, not behind a wall,

but to me, as we sit in training for Women Helping Battered Women, 7 years later.

“Nobody is better than you, your strength always gets me through”.

People walk in, they see no bruises, no tears, just smiles.

The bruises have faded, but the pain will last forever.

But today my pain is buried underneath by hope.

?

?

Today, survivors stand before you.

The bruises have faded, but the pain is still there.

Today, pain is deep beneath my soul.

Replaced by hope and courage,

for the fading bruises and everlasting pain.