When Words Hurt

Stormy seas engulf my heart
I tremble in such fear
I hear the words he spits at me
and wish I wasn't here ~
The painful stabs of disrespect
tear within my soul
Using words he unleashes
an ultimate control.

Angry eyes that glare at me
with contempt and hate
Niggling at me with the words
that belittle and berate ~
A powerplay of hurtful words
with the ability
To bring such shame into a heart
that now feels so guilty.

Finding fault in everything
I either do or say
From how I drive to how I look
to how I use my days ~
A barrage of such criticism
coming from the lips
Now only taste of heartache
in the place of happiness.

Offensive language, disrespect,
calling me such names
Lazy, stupid, whore or bitch
it only brings more pain ~
What do you hope to achieve
with such derogatory?
That you feel you must attack
to show my deficiency.

Intimidation is power
remind me that I'm weak
Yell and scream, shout and curse,
as I turn the other cheek ~
Feel your superiority
while I tremble with fear,
Refresh my memory with the words
you hiss into my ear.

A voice that's dripped with sarcasm
condemns my point of view
Veiled with the hurtful words,
you don't want to know the truth ~
It never matters what I think,
what I feel or say,
It's not important to the views
that you wish to convey.

And if I don't agree, then what,
time to shift the blame
Remind me just who's in control
and who can inflict more pain ~
A subtle threat I'll never win
if I choose to play,
But this is not a game to me,
does it matter what I say?

Yep, that's right, just put me down
like you always have before
When you feel threatened you corner me
and then make me feel small ~
Does it so empower you
to belittle me?
Always reminding me of my worth
and my growing deficiencies.

I wish I could just talk to you
and tell you how I feel
But would it make a difference then
or would you hurt me still?
I wish I had the courage to
stand upon my feet
And not take the pain you inflict
every day on me.

Constructive criticism,
at least that's what you say
Shifting the blame to my court
so your guilt's not in the way ~
But you don't have to raise a hand
when you abuse me,
For your words they hurt enough
and last eternally.

"In putting together a couple of pages for my Abuse website this afternoon, it conjured up memories of the power of words and what they held for me. How damaging words can be without being accompanied by physical abuse....in fact it could be far more damaging. This poems details the pain of verbal abuse, though many suffer from it today, they don't realise just what they are enduring constitutes as abuse. This is drawn on my own painful experience with verbal abuse....and the loneliness it held for me, and many others. But be encouraged ~ there is a light at the end of the tunnel, even if it is out of focus at the moment."