Dark subject matter I am so familiar with, this was beautifully written. That last stanza though is breath taking "Realizing she doesn't even share the same wisdom as her child". Great piece.

Often the victim of abuse is a person who would never imagine being in in an abusive situation but finds that what starts as a great relationship changes suddenly and they are sucked into an escalation and combination of physical and psychological abuse which ends up rendering them incapable of escape.

Alcohol and drugs can contribute to abusive behavior but generally the perpetrators have an internal need for control and get their joy from causing pain.

Unfortunately what their children see and endure has a huge impact on them and they live in constant fear and anxiety. The repurcussions of their experiences will carry through with them the rest of their lives.

This is a heart breaking tale of an abusive relationship captured through the mind of a child. Unfortunately the reality is that its not easy to escape such relationships especially with children and that sometimes trying to escape can proove more fatal than staying.
(Which can be seen by all the murder cases relating to victims leaving or having left violent relationships)

Thankfully there is a lot more help and support out there now and domestic abuse is taken very seriously regardless of the sex of the perpetrator.

Well done on a thought provoking piece about a subject that often goes unseen. Milly x

I love your ending line as well. Such a hard topic to discuss, yet the sad reality of too many. Beautifully written.

A sad reality, a painful one too which
children have to witness...and yes love
makes you happy not sad...a touching
write