This Body Mine

Posted on June 14, 2019 by

30 Comments

You will not break me
those that came before you tried
The dark man with black eyes
‘It’s for your own good’
as he raised his deformed hand
purple bruised skin
he tried to whip me
into submission —
for I was not his child
the damage he inflicted
more mental than physical
but I refused to give in
to his sordid whims.

Along came the hungry lion
feeding on the lamb
of innocent youth
a naive girl —
with a narrow world
stalking my every move
asking me to prove
my love, so I did
and the only light
that came from it
was a beautiful child
in my likeness
born with wisdom
in her eyes.

And then, the crooner
the devil in disguise
charming with his lies
a mental case
that embraced
the darkness
in his soul —
consuming my light
to build his fire
from within
but in the end
he did not win.

Through all my life
This body mine —
this brilliant mind
with scars
with flaws
with tender cause
will always be
my sanctuary —
and no one will
ever take that
from me.

©2021 Linda Lee Lyberg

Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Wordy Thursday with Wild Woman: Being a Woman in Times Like These

Category: PoetryTags: , ,

30 Comments on “This Body Mine”

  1. Linda, you have written – and lived – my life story. I love the daughter born with wisdom in her eyes. They are our gifts from all we went through. The journey from abuse winds up lifting us higher than we ever could have dreamed back then. Thank you for this poem. Bravo on your journey!

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  4. I love how defiant this is. Nothing like a trip or two to hell to make you know your own strength.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. A light that cannot be extinguished. That’s what I kept thinking while reading. And I smiled that despite the darkness, you created a new little light that shines.

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  7. I can’t tell you how moved I am by the courage in your poem, Linda! ❤️ This is both beautiful and heartwrenching.

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  9. This speaks of survival, empowerment, a warrior spirit. Beautiful, moving piece…thank you for writing and sharing it with us.

    Liked by 1 person

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