Open, shut, open, shut
Banging doors, slamming drawers
Yelling, screaming, shouting, beating
The shit I put up with
Because he says he loves me

Help, shut up, stop, make me
He’s gone over the edge
Now, he says, you’ll learn
Now, he says, you’ll do as you’re told

The slaps, the punches
The bruises, the cuts
The stitches, the tears

No more, I’ve had enough
I know it’s time to leave

…But then he says he loves me

Related articles

• Post Script: NPM: Haven (Poem 24) (saytaina.com)
• Post Script: NPM: I will never hold you (Poem 5) (saytaina.com)