every time he would hit me
push me down stairs
kick me
hold a gun to my head
break my phone
bite me on the back
throw all the food away
take my furniture
sell my car, clothes, cds, shoes
burn me
cut me
leave me in a ball on a gurney
he would always tell me
I was warned.
“She was warned”
he would say to his friends
as they laughed about my new
bruises
scabs
limp
now I know the rest of that sentence
“Nevertheless she persisted”
Next time let’s not get talking points
from Abuser Guidebook 101
Etudes and Requiems 