“Silence”

Deafening in its betrayal,
the clanging of the injustice ringing in her ears,
accompanying every drunken word …

Why does she remain silent?
when every fiber of her being cries out,
screaming, “Stop!”

She knows beyond all reason,
her silence breeds contempt,
yet, on and on it goes.

The abuser and the victim,
locked in an endless power play;
when will she stand and fight?

When?