The Spark

I met a jackal masked as a man
with one green eye, one brown,
who smelled my weak
and lured with pretty speech.

He promised shelter,
then fed me hand-me-down
self-hate and blame
spat to shame.

Soft lips encased razor teeth
and poisoned tongue;
mirror maze insecurity
echoed degradation.

The labyrinth of him
met with bruises, torn skin,
leaving truth amiss
in dark abyss.

Though, between my rib cage
a spark flickered,
igniting the fight in me,
and lit the path to freedom.

The spark kindled the furnace
that set his lies ablaze,
incinerating the chains that bound,
leaving only ash on the ground.




This was an attempt to correct a poem that I wrote several years ago for submission to "What Have You Learned On Writing.Com?" . I posted it on WDC in 2014, but it was actually written around 2010 while I was in an abusive marriage. Besides the obvious structural issues, the only way to correct it was to remove the victim blame, which in a way changes the whole poem. If it is not acceptable for the contest, at least it can serve as a reference of where I once was and where I am now. Typically I write poetry using set forms, but since my original intent with the first poem was free verse, I chose to correct it in free verse. Below is the original poem.

Igorance is not Bliss

Ignorance is not bliss.
It embraces a poison kiss.
Through closed eyes truth is amiss in a dark abyss.

He comes to you made in a troublesome masquerade:
A different man with the same perjury shade.
You believe the deception when he’s ever so sly.
When the mask falters you cry.
You’re shocked at the deception he wore,
But it’s YOU who should know more.

You ignore the truth in the shadows around you.
Ignorance is the tie that binds you.
You blame the lies when you realize the game,
But it’s YOU to blame for choosing the same.

“Woe is me!” cries the lamb wounded and meek,
But it’s only attention that you seek.

You stare at your reflection crying,
"Me! Me! Me!"
It’s a mirror maze catastrophe!

Look beyond the image that you want to see.
You must take responsibility if you want to be free.
Then in the labyrinth you’ll hear the truthful sound
When your victim chains are no longer bound.