the burning of the books
He beat her in the name of God
and surely he was a righteous man
In San Diego he split her lip,
he blackened her eyes again and again,
and she understood that he was her fate;
and friends tried to help her before it was too late,
and she said no,
it would be a sin to go.
But after being beaten down
by a god who changed names overnight,
she stopped going willingly into arms that wounded,
arms so full of fright.
Her jaw became ever rigid, her glance became indirect,
and her will to live became a topic of discussion,
an inane inner dialog 'tween two voices,
one who spoke of heaven,
"Daughter, just wait for your reward..."
while the other cried, "Anarchy! Devastation! Do something, I am bored!"
And the fetid flaming feather that
finally broke the camel's back
was when he became 'born again',
and her beloved books came under attack...
when she caught him burning them,
something snapped inside -
something was truly wrong here,
something she'd never abide...
the damage to her body and soul
she thought due penance for sins unnamed...
but the burning of the books was cold,
and signaled the end of the abusive game.
From a dear friend that needs help to another dear friend who can help!
