The rain came down in torrents
Only a fool would be out on a night like this
And on I ran, heading for the sanctuary
I knew to be a short distance ahead
Tears mixing with the rain
Ran down my face and my lips
I tasted the salt of the tears and the coppery
Taste of blood but there was no time
Not a minute to waste with such concerns
For surely the blood and the tears
Have been there my entire life
Why be concerned with them now
Have I not cried these same tears
Bled this same red pain since a child
The rain only makes it less messy
Easier to wipe away
As I hurried across the park
But the blood, something about the blood
I stumbled but righted myself and moved
No time to waste on your pondering I told myself
You have to get there and tell him
Tell him what you have done this time
Tell him that the pain finally became too much
The screaming and flying fists
The pain, the never ending pain
It had to stop….no don’t stop
You have to get there, to the one place you are safe
Right ahead, you see the doors
There lies safety, he will understand
You have to tell him what you have done
Still mumbling to myself, I pushed open the huge door
Then there ahead I saw the haven I was seeking
Kneeling on the floor, water and blood and tears
Mingling together into a pool of anguish
I finally was able to say
“forgive me Father, for I have sinned…..”

This was written after reading about a woman who killed her husband and then went straight to confession. There is help for spousal abuse before it goes this far...call your local YWCA, your minister, your best friend....but call someone and above all walk away.