a band of gold around your finger
shouldn’t feel like bracelets made of steel
you should feel his arm around your shoulders
not his hands around your throat
that is not love
Tag Archives: domestic abuse
Shameless
Yes…I’m promoting my book.
No…I don’t mind if you promote it too! 😉
Go ahead and blog about it, tweet it and share it on facebook 🙂
You could even read it and write a review if you’re game 😀
My second collection of poetry, Moonpies & Naugahyde: A Childhood Survived, is available on Amazon. Fabulous watercolor paintings by Georgiann Carlson accompany my poems throughout, creating a book I am extremely proud of!
3 options available now on Amazon:
1-Full Color Edition: Watercolor Illustrations presented in Full Color
This is the way this collection is meant to be experienced!
2-Black & White Edition: Watercolor Illustrations presented in Greyscale
3-Ebook for your Kindle, iPad, etc.
↓
↑
OH and you can also get my first book, Spectrum: Watercolored Words
Filed under Books, Moonpies & Naugahyde, Poetry, Spectrum Watercolored Words
he is the man
She was warm
and nurturing
somehow than turned
into control
and while she used to build him up
all she does now
is tear him down
like his destruction
is her goal
—
she used to complain
he didn’t make enough
that if he was a “real man”
he would do better to provide
so he took on overtime
and a part time job as well
and now she complains
that he is never home
accuses him of having someone else
a woman on the side
—
she criticizes his every move
says he “can’t do anything right”
and as she slaps him in the face
she calls him weak
and useless
because he refuses
to fight
—
he trudges through each day
tired and beaten down
and wonders what has happened
to his life
he no longer recognizes himself
but he doesn’t feel
like he can leave
they have kids
and she is his wife
—
he no longer sees his family
has no friends to understand
so he suffers silently
no one would believe him
anyway
after all
he is the man
~Melanie Thomason
*October is National Domestic Abuse Awareness Month. Just a reminder that women are not the only victims of domestic violence. Men are abused as well and are often too ashamed to admit it or ask for help.
Filed under Poetry
Moonpies & Naugahyde: A Childhood Survived
I’m happy to announce my second collection of poetry, Moonpies & Naugahyde: A Childhood Survived, is now available!!
Fabulous watercolor paintings by Georgiann Carlson accompany my poems throughout, creating a book I am extremely proud of!
Since October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, I can think of no better time to release it.
3 options available now on Amazon:
Note the 3 “versions” are not all linking up on Amazon correctly so I am providing the individual links below each option 🙂
1-Full Color Edition: Watercolor Illustrations presented in Full Color
This is the way this collection is meant to be experienced!
Get it here!
2-Black & White Edition: Watercolor Illustrations presented in Greyscale
(Producing the book in full color made it a little pricey so offering this B&W option)
3-Ebook for your Kindle, iPad, etc.
Filed under Books, Moonpies & Naugahyde, Poetry
angry
Billy was an angry man
he hated his own life
but instead of making changes
he took it out on his children & his wife
his hands, his belt, a wooden spoon;
anything in reach would do
and after every vicious assault
he made sure they knew it was their fault
~Melanie Thomason
Source: angry
Filed under Artists 4 Peace, People/Causes I believe In, Poetry
Why doesn’t she LEAVE?!
Another submission I wrote for Artists4Peace
she is afraid
of him
of being without him
of what he might do to himself
that he might find her (he has promised to hunt her down)
of what he might do to her (he has promised to kill her if she left)
she is afraid
that she can’t do any better
that no one else will love her
that she can’t make it on her own
that she can’t provide for her kids
that this is what she deserves
and anyway you don’t understand…
he isn’t always like this
he doesn’t mean to hurt her
he is a good provider
he is a good father…he hasn’t hit the kids (yet)
he loves her
and anyway you don’t understand…
she doesn’t know anything else
this is just how it is
it has always been like this
she grew up watching her mom live this way
it’s in her DNA to stay
Melanie Thomason
Source: Why doesn’t she LEAVE?!
Filed under Artists 4 Peace, People/Causes I believe In, Poetry
but they love each other- a series of haiku
A series of haiku that I wrote for Artists4Peace. This month’s topic was Breaking the Cycles of Abuse
she is wearing a
turtleneck in the summer
to hide fresh bruises
∇
fingerprint necklace
one of many abuses
that she covers up
∇
she can’t tell her friends
not that she has many left
he made sure of that
∇
she doesn’t know why
she keeps making him so mad
she must do better
∇
if he is so bad
why doesn’t she leave, you ask
you don’t understand
∇
he loves her so much
he feels terrible after
says it’s the last time
∇
and she loves him too
so she lives this way
in spite of herself
∇
Melanie Thomason
Filed under Artists 4 Peace, haiku, Poetry
Love doesn’t look like THIS…this is what HATE looks like
Does this painting reach in and pull out your heart? Perhaps you know someone who has looked like this? Perhaps it has even been you…
IF you think no one you know has been or is being beaten you are deluding yourself. Some of us just hide it well.It is not ok, it is never ok and no one deserves to be a punching bag.
If anyone lays a hand on you in violence please know:
1- Contrary to what they may say it is not because they love you sooo much
2- You didn’t MAKE them do it
3- They will do it again
Filed under People/Causes I believe In, reblog
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