Choking
Gasping for…
breath,
life…
The hands around my throat…
They used to: hold, caress, soothe
Now they: strike, strangle, abuse
Released
Wheezing,
Coughing,
Sputtering
Manically laughter
The touch, soft & gentle
Sickens me
The love that once inhabited,
that bottomless pit
you call a heart,
is evaporated
You are stone
cold
Devoid
of any emotion
Except…
hatred, rage
The thrill of my fear
You smell my weakness
breathe it in
Scary thoughts play out
You walk away
Throw obscenities over your shoulder
Each one hitting me
Stabbing me
Accepting the truth
The love never lived
Rising to the occasion
You turn
Yell
Empty threats
And
Broken promises litter the floor
I brush off the pain
I stand up tall
You strike me down
I get back up
Warm red liquid
Trickling down my face
One hit
Then two
your surprised
Three, four…
I lose count
Everything you threw
I use as a weapon
I defend my right
To live
To be different
To be safe
knocking you all the way down
to where you belong
Daring you to get back up
You crawl away
No longer interested
In playing
The rules changed
You don’t want a fair fight
So you run
with your tail between your legs
vowing to get me back
But we both know
that, that warm liquid
claimed me
And
with my last burst of life
I fought back
2.18.16