by Chiara Palmeri
Trigger Warning: Domestic Violence, Abuse, Murder
Is This Love?
I lived in his shadow,
In the imprisonment he imposed,
But he never slapped me.
.
The sound of his words
Terrified me so much I trembled,
But he never punched me.
.
I was frightened at the idea
He might come into my room
Whilst I slept on pillows drenched in tears,
But he never kicked me.
.
Coming home at night
I walked on my tiptoes,
Constantly on eggshells,
Praying he would not notice,
But he never beat me.
.
He made me hate myself,
My body, my curves,
I was not allowed to eat,
I tried changing to please him,
Hoping he would stop screaming.
.
But, at the end of the day,
He never hit me.
I was told,
I am no victim,
Because he never killed me.
.
Poetry has the power to evoke emotions and shed light on difficult topics. In the Netherlands, 33% of women have been victims of abuse; in the beginning of 2020, 1.2 million Dutch people aged 16+ reported they had been victims of abuse in the previous year. If you or someone you know is experiencing physical or psychological abuse in a relationship, please reach out for support. If you are not in immediate danger, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline (Veilig Thuis in Dutch) on 0800-2000: they will help you and provide you with an address to seek refuge at if you do not feel safe at home. For emergencies and life threatening situations, call 112.
Raffia 