Fear

Fear by Anne E Thompson

Fear
When all consuming
Saps all mobility from limbs
Removes the ability to make
Even the softest sound.
So it was in silence
That he killed her
Repeatedly killed her.
You can die many times
In thirty seconds.
When he left
To continue with his living
She found a tiny shred
Of life within her.
She stretched it out
Thin and taut
To fit the shape
Of who she had been.
Because the shape was the same
No one noticed she had gone.
So she fed the brittle remains
With normality and routine,
And the remnant began to grow,
To fill her shape more naturally
To fit her life more comfortably.
But she always knew
That it might tear again
And leave the shell
Without a soul.

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    Many women today are abused or work in the sex industry. Some of these were sold as children to the brothels, where they were given general work, such as cleaning, until they became old enough to receive clients. Even if they want to leave, where would they go? Tearfund works with partners in Mumbai to provide a safe place for women who want to leave the sex trade. You can learn more about this work at:http://www.tearfund.org

See also:http://anneethompson.com/poems/general-poems/who-knows-the-girl-with-the-dancing-black-eyes/