Just a fictional retelling of a very old and sad story, but with a twist.
I hope you enjoy reading it.
Steve.

I walked into the barroom,
My eye black and swelled,
And my friends gathered round me,
Saying, “Come on buddy, tell”,

“How did you get that black eye,
And that split and swollen lip?
That must have been a fight to see,
It’s a shame that we missed it”.

Well I said, “You’re right, it was a hell of a fight,
Between me and some wise guy”,
Then I told them a story, both violent and gory,
Which from beginning to end was a lie.

No-one had sucker punched me,
And broke my nose and tooth,
But it was easier to lie, to this bunch of guys,
Than it was to tell them the truth.

How could I admit, that I’d been beaten and kicked,
Spat at and cut with a knife?
How could I confess, I’d been punched in the chest,
At home, by my very own wife?

What would they say, if I tried to explain,
I had not even tried to defend?
I’d be laughed at and mocked, a real laughing stock,
Less than a man among men.

I know what they’d do cause I’ve heard them,
Talk about others I’ve known,
They could not comprehend that one of their friends,
Could be so abused, while at home.

By a slender, young, slip of a woman,
Yes I know what my buddies would think,
But they could never conceive or ever believe,
The state she gets in when she drinks.

Of course sober, she’s a whole different woman,
And butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth,
But her drinking’s becoming a problem,
And it’s going to get worse, I’ve no doubt.

You’re probably wondering why I don’t leave her,
Or at least hit her back when she’s drunk,
That’s just not how I am, I’m not that sort of man,
No matter how low she has sunk.

I’ve loved her too long and too deeply,
To ever give up and forsake her,
So I just hope and pray, that with my help she may,
Conquer these demons that take her,

Until then, I’ll be right there to catch her,
Whenever she stumbles or falls.
And I can take the abuse and the occasional bruise,
For she’s the woman I love, after all.

It’s for better or worse I had promised,
So for better or worse it will be,
Because deep in my heart, I know at the start,
She would have done that much for me.

And if I’m not there at her side, when she needs me,
Then what kind of a husband am I?
Yes I could just pack up and leave her.
But like I said, I’m not that kind of guy.


By S.E.Ralph

14-5-2016