»
Archives
»
Open Poetry #7
»
The Secret (Another child abuse poem)
| Open Poetry #7 |
|
The Secret (Another child abuse poem) |
|
|
hsystems Member
since 2000-03-28
Posts 319Murray, UT, USA |
The Secret The pleasant evening begins, The sun making its lazy descent in the azure sky. Cooled by the shade of my maple tree, I sit on my lawn, basking in the joy and beauty of life. Looking up, I see you walking past my house, Your eyes upon the ground. I smile and say hello, and you slowly raise your head To meet my gaze with empty eyes. My smile falters at what I read in your vacant stare. Then, you lower your eyes again and continue walking down the sidewalk. In this brief instant, my mind goes back To when I was 12 years old, And the sun didn't shine on my world; And darkness held me in a death-grip. And, suddenly, I realize what it was That I read in your eyes: You, too, know the nightmare of abuse. Who was he - the one who used your body To satisfy his sick desires? Father, brother, uncle, trusted friend? Perhaps a cousin, as was he who abused me? What did he take from you? Your self-esteem? Your will to live? Your ability to trust? Your capacity to feel joy? Your heart? Your soul? Your identity? I know your pain, my friend My cousin took all of these from me, And more. Did he know what it would do to me, When he used my trust in him As an avenue whereby he could defile me? Perhaps not - but, it doesn't matter. He should have thought about it. Does he care what became of me, When he was through with me, And went on his merry way? I don't think so. He used my flesh to feed The demon inside of him And then went off In search of other prey. But, wait, my friend - While I was caught up in memories, You moved on, and are now out of sight. You left before I could tell you The wonderful secret Before I could tell you That it doesn't have to end like that. The sun can rise over your world, again, As it has over mine. It takes time - time to remember What a wonderful person you are, And to realize that No matter what anyone does to you, They can't take away your worth. It takes patience - patience to sift through your soul, Removing the shadows that were placed there by your abuser, So that the brightness of your spirit can shine through. It takes courage - courage to break free from your past And to take charge of your life, Never to be controlled by another, again. It also helps to have a friend - Someone who understands your pain, And cares enough to help you to work through it. And, so, my friend, Although my voice can no longer reach your ears, I send my spirit To deliver this message to yours: I care I understand And, if you ever pass my way, again, I promise not to watch you walk by Without sharing the secret of survival with you. -Troy J. Hoecherl- © Troy J Hoecherl All Rights Reserved Beautiful, Thought-Provoking Poetry http://www.h-systems.net/p1.htm |
||
| © Copyright 2000 Troy Hoecherl - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Marina Member Elite
since 2000-02-10
Posts 2245Pickering, Ontario |
Thank you very much for posting this one Troy. It is much appreciated. Challenge well met. Marina |
||
|
Meadowmuse Member Elite
since 1999-12-27
Posts 3263 |
Yes, there is hope for survival...your words speak loudly to the survivor in me. This is a direct yet tender piece of writing, and I thank you, Troy, for sharing the secret. Superb. ~ Claire |
||
|
netswan Senior Member
since 2000-03-28
Posts 1369Washington |
Troy, this poem is so tender and I just love it. Coming into the forum this past few days has been very painful for me. I don't know why. Thought these issues were over for me -- but what is happening, is my pain is for all the other children who have had to experience any of this abuse. Big Hugs, and thanks for sharing this - it is a very worthy cause --and well written, as usual. Back to the Top netswan |
||
|
Irish Rose Member Patricius
since 2000-04-06
Posts 10263 |
Yours is the first I've had the courage to read. For obvious reasons. It was painful but necessary. thank you Kathleen |
||
Marge Tindal 
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Troy~ My heart aches with the misery that anyone has to go through at the hands of sick and demented tormentors. Yes, thank God, there are survivors. As I can see in many of the replies, it would appear that there are many, many survivors among us. My heart hugs everyone who has ever had to contend with any form of abuse. Verbal abuse is the killer of self-esteem. Sexual abuse is the silencer of self-spirit for such a long time ... sometimes for life. Physical abuse is most often the silencer of life itself. We do need to reach out and offer our love and understanding to the victims who are survivors ... and prayerful rememberance to those who are not. This could not have been easy for you to share ... thank you for doing so. ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ [email protected] |
||
|
Dawn Eclipse Senior Member
since 2000-01-31
Posts 637The Horsehead Nebula |
Very deep poem. no matter what the kind of abuse, it kills a part of you, a part that may never come back. Thanks for sharing your poetry with us! "It is in our aloneness that we recognize our oneness, even as the single droplet of water knows also that it is the sea."Daniel *Cassie Roseen* |
||
|
hsystems Member
since 2000-03-28
Posts 319Murray, UT, USA |
Thank you all for reading, my friends! Marina - you're welcome! And, it really was a challenge, deciding whether or not to post this... Claire - you honor me with your kind words...and it was my pleasure to share the secret. I just wish that I could somehow spare all of the little lost souls of the world from ever having to go through this... Teresa - I've had a tough time entering the forum lately, too. Even though the memory of being victimized no longer immobilizes me like it used to, it is still very sad to see how many of our Passions family members have had personal experiences with this ugly facet of reality. Glad you liked the poem - you're the best! {{{Teresa}}} Kathleen - I read a quote, once, that has really stuck with me. I can't remember who the author was, but he said "healing comes through the wound." Sometimes we need to pull our emotional scabs off and clean out the wounds, before they can truly heal...if my poem helped you to do this, I am happy. Marge - very valid points, my friend! And, no...it wasn't easy to share. But, I am one of the lucky ones who learned that being abused doesn't have to be the end of existence. Not everyone who has survived abuse has learned this, and I felt I owed it to my fellow survivors to share the secret I had learned. Dawn Eclipse - thank you for your kind words. Yes, sometimes we never regain what we lost - but it often helps just to know that we are not alone! Again, thank you all for reading and responding!  Troy Beautiful, Thought-Provoking Poetry http://www.h-systems.net/p1.htm |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
