This is How it Ends
A Poem on the Realities of Leaving
What are you reporting?
A decade of pain
Abuse
Did he hit you?
He cut me off at the knees,
bringing me lower than
six feet under.
He ripped out my larynx
so I could no longer speak
for myself.
No
Did you do anything to provoke him?
I breathed as quietly as I could.
Took up the least amount of space.
I did everything to keep the peace.
Until today, until this day, I chose to speak out.
Today I chose to put myself first —
I couldn’t walk on eggshells another day.
Not intentionally
I’m sorry ma’am, there is nothing we can do.
I’m begging you, please don’t leave us here.
Don’t let him back in.
Nothing?
Legally he co-owns the home— They are his children too.
You don’t understand — Please, please save them.
They’re children, they don’t understand this isn’t how it should be.
Isn’t there anything you can do?
If you fear for your life.. don’t hesitate to call.
I’ll never have this opportunity again.
I finally found the courage to ask for help.
There is no turning back from this. He knows.
I tried to expose him, and he knows I failed.
You don’t believe me — just like he said you wouldn’t.
My story didn’t end in tragedy, but so many others do.
If you feel unsafe, never hesitate to involve the authorities. At the very least, the incident will be documented. This experience occurred several years ago, and while there is still a long way to go, awareness around intimate partner violence has come a long way. We see you, we believe you, and we are here to support you.
