Everlasting Battle: Poem

For the creative writing competition in year eight, I decided to write a poem based on domestic violence and the way a child sees her parents. This was my poem, titled "The Everlasting Battle".

From evening to dawn they quarrel, in front of her teary eyes,

It’s those brutal bashings in which her mother endures, of which she does despise,

She says “Stop hitting mum”, but he responds only with another yell,

She crawls under the covers but his voice only echoes, like a bellowing wave inside a shell,

When morning comes he does not recall, the things that he has said,

Those crazy words that came out of his mouth, and those thoughts inside his head,

He does not bear in mind, that those bruises on her arm,

Are from his own two fists, which caused this mother so much harm,

In the best interest of their happiness they have now parted, and gone their separate ways,

So long gone are those tragic fights, and those unforgettable days,

But what about that little girl, who’s had to pick a side,

Who day and night was scared of her dad, but no longer wants to hide,

That little girl I’m sad to say, is closer than can be,

Because that little girl who saw those fights, has grown up, and that girl is me.

This is the truth and nothing more, of what I saw each night,

But don’t feel sorry for me or that little girl, because it was my mum that had the battle to fight.