Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
A constant vision of my greatest joy
The lone stealer of love, this mama’s boy

You may shoot me with your words
You may cut me with your eyes
In a dawn clear of anguish, full of songbirds
This beaten down once upon a time girl flies

You wanted to see me broken
With the certainty of tides,
Unkept promises and lies, spoken
Hostage keeper, revels in his divides

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
Glimpses of a life before the cruelty reappear
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
The fleeting smiles, the staccato laughs, the things I held dear

To know compassion, not callous lies
To know a promise kept, not a disguise

Christine Mooney is a mom, a poet and a freelance writer. Once upon a time, Chris was an elementary school teacher for many years and then a homeschool mom of her own children for many more years. Family, motherhood, and thriving after escape from domestic abuse are themes commonly visited in Chris’s writing.