Red Ocean

She was standing alone
Thinking about her boy at home
Assembling in her mind
A list of groceries
She could not afford to buy.

Sitting by the window,

He takes a deep breath,

Closes his eyes and boom!

He is at the station,

Hopping on a train.

 

His destination takes

But a second to reach.

He is now sitting in the sand,

Listening to the waves,

Breathing in the ocean.

 

She comes in.

 

He was waiting for her.

 

The boy covers his ears.

He is shutting down the screams,

That are fiercely piercing

Back through his fencing

Bubble of dreams.

 

His dad is shouting at his mum.

A bit too much liquor

Pushing him over the edge again.

She closes the door to the balcony,

Leaving her son out of their hell.

 

Taking all the heat,

The shouts, and the kicks,

She puts up with his aimless anger.

He is holding her against the wall.

Their son pounds and begs.

 

The man’s plight has turned him death,

Blinded with a seedless rage.

She turns to her son,

Attempts a soothing smile,

Whispers and falls,

 

Shedding a blooded tear,

Relinquishing her jailers’ arms.

Her legs give way,

As she falls down.

 

His bloody knuckles

Are tainting the windows.

He watches helpless,

And crumbles as she does,

Wishing he’d been older, stronger…

 

Maybe he could have protected her…

 

The ocean in his heart reddens .

 

His hands, now covering his face,

Can’t shelter him from the hell around him.

Imprisoned. He cries,

And his tears wash away

The trail of blood covering his cheeks

 

A birthday cake is sitting

On the table. Untouched candles.

Still wrapped. Guiltily aware

Their cost triggered

A deadly fight, and took her life.

 

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Picture captured on April 29th, 2017 in Thonon Les Bains, France, using an iPhone 5S in HDR settings. (Picture enhancement: full cast)

 

This text was written as part of the 38th Weekly Writing Workshop on Mug’s Tale. It answers the theme “Escape”.

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http://www.refuge.org.uk/get-help-now/what-is-domestic-violence/domestic-violence-the-facts/

“2 women are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner (Office of National Statistics, 2015) – 1 woman killed every 3 days”

http://ncadv.org/learn-more/statistics

“1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.”