King & Servant

Days
He abides by the man's rule.

Evenings
he seeks to regain his authority.

She greets him.
The woman
he shaped, he molded, he scolded.

His head slowly bends down
and she waits for the king
to respond, but he is quiet.

She takes her cue and shies
away
his meal is cooked
his dishes are washed
his clothes are clean and put away
his bills are paid his castle is kept
like her.

College-educated, employed
and beautiful, but her bed has been made.

Innocence given away to him for keeps --
it wasn't his sweet little pussy cat
who purred at each and every contact;
instead it was her self-esteem
self-pride, self-love that had been
captured.

Everything about her was wrong
and he reminded her
that she had to choose for he knew
what was best -- he was wiser.

The parties, the boys, the toys
they had to stop.
He stressed they weren't good
for someone so special.

And it wasn't for long
before a slap would follow a sorry,
a punch would follow a beg,
between thrown clothes and luggage
between obsessive, pleading phone calls
and stalking from afar
and she couldn't say "bye."
Why?
Because the voice inside her head was no longer hers.

Nicholl McGuire
Author Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate
http://www.twitter.com/nichollmcguire