Dreams dissipating like mist of dawn
Vaporised in ego's searing heat

Perpetual darkness engulfing verve
Lights of joy blown out in wrath

Little salty streams meandering my countenance
Bearing with them sediments of ache

Like a fish out of water gasping for breath
Unspoken words suffocate my chest

Love scorned like traces of plague
Sullied vamps he sought every day

Scars showered like kisses of passion
I bore them all like gold medallion

Bleeding blisters bejewelling this frame
Concealed in garb of grace, like a phantom of mirth

Cacophony of convictions handed like compliments
drugging my veins numbing my faculty

Derisions I willingly took, if that was all he would give
Forlorn was I, in the grips of despair

Mere pup at master's feet, dutifully I stayed,
Love, just a bone of contention amidst us

Devil incarnate was he, broiling me in seclusion
Assaulting my esteem, chipping away trust

Distorting my priorities, trampling mine zeal
Plundering all morality, eroding my worth

Assuming he'd won, too early to gloat
Least he knew, intact was my soul

Bearing a spark of faith, fusing broken bones
Nursing the scars, regaining my breath

Retrieving myself with vials of vigour
Distraught no more, tranquillity brims my soul

Wiser by the minute, willing to let go
Ready to take a leap lighter, free of shackles!

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Stigma:  a mark of shame or discredit

archaic : a mark branded on the skin, during the times of slavery.

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*This poem is part of my book 'THE VOICE OR THE ECHO'. Written from the perspective of a woman abused by her husband, who is on the path of healing.

Date: 01/03/22