I wrote this poem to depict the harrowing truth about domestic abuse and violence happening in many families. And for the fear of society, the stories get stifled. Here's hoping may all the victims find the strength to overcome the demons in their life
This Poem was selected for the Recitation round in Kavya-Krama 2020 organized by Parikrama Students' Family, BPKIHS, Dharan. A recitation of the poem can be viewed here.
Demons in the Bottle
Sometime into the night, amidst the darkness
An ominous thud punctuates the silence
An ominous thud punctuates the silence
And we wait with bated breath
As the door gives in, and a figure enters
With faltering steps and a waddling gait
Me and my mother, we find each other’s hand
Look into each other’s eyes, full of fear
Knowing that a whimper or a sob would trigger
The avalanche of abuses, the rain of blows
My father, a shadow of the man he was
Devouring the demons in the bottle
Devoured by the demons in the bottle
Giving in to the intoxicating pull
Day by day, bottle by bottle, chug by chug
A little less human and a little more someone else
Someone else who doesn’t hear his daughter’s cries
Someone else who doesn’t see his wife’s tears
Someone else who doesn’t falter
Seeing his daughter
Cowering and huddling in the corner
A child he brought to this world,
And then comes the beatings
Oh, the fists, they surely hurt
But not as much the memories
Of our happy moments together
Oh, the tears surely fall
But not for the pain,
But for the man my father become
Worshipping the demons in the bottle
And I made a promise
To all the tears my mother shed
To all the screams my mother cried
To all the bruises she hid
To all the scars she covered
To her patience, To her will
That I will be the daughter
That my mother deserves.
With faltering steps and a waddling gait
Me and my mother, we find each other’s hand
Look into each other’s eyes, full of fear
Knowing that a whimper or a sob would trigger
The avalanche of abuses, the rain of blows
My father, a shadow of the man he was
Devouring the demons in the bottle
Devoured by the demons in the bottle
Giving in to the intoxicating pull
Day by day, bottle by bottle, chug by chug
A little less human and a little more someone else
Someone else who doesn’t hear his daughter’s cries
Someone else who doesn’t see his wife’s tears
Someone else who doesn’t falter
Seeing his daughter
Cowering and huddling in the corner
A child he brought to this world,
And then comes the beatings
Oh, the fists, they surely hurt
But not as much the memories
Of our happy moments together
Oh, the tears surely fall
But not for the pain,
But for the man my father become
Worshipping the demons in the bottle
And I made a promise
To all the tears my mother shed
To all the screams my mother cried
To all the bruises she hid
To all the scars she covered
To her patience, To her will
That I will be the daughter
That my mother deserves.
Amazing poem dai, keep it up
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
DeleteVery nicely written🙌👏
ReplyDeleteThank you so much 😄
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