It’s so…

May18

spiderRattling chains,

avenged_sevenfold__nightmare-1280x720a reminder in the night

that nothing is as it seems

a slap that leaves a cold reality

triggering a need to reach for reassurance

but finding only emptiness

it is lonely in this nightmare

spider

The unanswered raven’s call

is a reminder of the sadness

that chills an already broken heart

and freezes the tears that need wiping

leaving you to squirm in skin that does not fit

with a voice that will not speak

it is lonely in this madness

spider

And with the finest silk

webs are weaved

to entrap the wounded

and angels sing of peace

while cutting out their soul

leaving only shells that echo in the night

it’s so lonely in this life

Springtime Misery..

May17

the joys of spring

a head filled with a base drum

thump, thump, thump

habanero eyes blasted by sand

rub, rub, rub

a nose with no washer

drip, drip, drip

skin that cracks like the Sahara

scratch, scratch, scratch

and no relief in sight

spring’s beauty is undeniable

but could it leave the allergies at home??

✻

Add to this the fact that the temperatures have already reached the triple digits it does not make for a pleasant environment.

Have a beautiful weekend!

Fading

May16

everyday you could find him

on the corner of NEED and DESIRE

strumming on his heartstrings

and driving the ladies wild

it was there he made his fortune

it was there he found fame

but he didn’t realize it was over

until he slowly faded away

 ♫

We humans get so caught up in the doing that we miss the moments.

It won’t happen again..3WW

May15

Three Word Wednesday

Helpless, Trample, Vigilant

vigilant victim

 trampled by love and this life

 a helpless feeling

~~~

Surviving domestic violence isn’t easy, but it is possible. Don’t become a statistic, get help, get out.

I did, so can you!

  1. Number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq: 6,614:
  2. Number of women, in the same period, killed as the result of domestic violence in the US: 11,766
  3. Number of people per minute who experience intimate partner violence in the U.S.: 24
  4. Number of workplace violence incidents in the U.S. annually that are the result of current or past intimate partner assaults: 18,700
  5. Number of women in the U.S. who report intimate partner violence: 1 in 4
  6. Number of men in the U.S. who report intimate partner violence: 1 in 7*
  7. Number of women who will experience partner violence worldwide: 1 in 3
  8. Order of causes of death for European women ages 16-44: domestic violence, cancer, traffic accidents
  9. Increase in likelihood that a woman will die a violent death if a gun in present in the home: 270 percent
  10. Number of women killed by spouses who were shot by guns kept by men in the home in France and South Africa: 1 in 3
  11. Percentage of the 900 million small arms that are kept in the home, worldwide: 75
  12. Country in which 943 women were killed in honor killings in 2011: Pakistan
  13. City in which man “butchered” his wife in front of their six children in 2012: Berlin
  14. States in which man decapitated his wife with a chainsaw in 2010 and another mandid the same, respectively: Texas and New York
  15. Percentages of people killed in the U.S. by an intimate partner: 30 percent of women, 5.3 percent of men.
  16. Number of gay and bisexual men who experience domestic violence in the U.S.: 2 in 5 (similar to heterosexual women)
  17. Percentage of the 31 Senate votes cast against the Violence Against Women Act that came from older, white, male Republicans: 95.8
  18. Percentage of the 31 Senate votes cast against the Violence Against Women Act that came from a younger, male Republicans, at least one of whom sits on the Science Committee but is unable to say how old the Earth is: 4.2
  19. Number of legal, medical, professional, faith-based and advocacy groups thatsigned a letter protesting the stripped-down VAWA: 300
  20. First year that the Republican-led House of Representatives eroded VAWA of provisions designed to increase protections for Native Americans, immigrant women, members of the LGTBQ community and, yes, men: 2012
  21. Estimated number of children, worldwide, exposed to domestic violence everyday: 10,000,000
  22. Worldwide, likelihood that a man who grew up in a household with domestic violence grows up to be an abuser: 3 to 4 times more likely than if he hadn’t.
  23. Chance that a girl of high school age in the U.S. experiences violence in a dating relationship: 1 in 3
  24. Percentage of teen rape and abuse victims who report their assailant as an intimate: 76
  25. Percentage of U.S. cities citing domestic abuse as the primary cause of homelessness: 50
  26. Percentage of homeless women reporting domestic abuse: 63
  27. Percentage of homeless women with children reporting domestic abuse: 92
  28. Percentage of women with disabilities who report violence: 40
  29. Annual cost of domestic violence in the U.S. related to health care: $5.8 billion
  30. Annual cost of domestic violence in the U.S. related to emergency care plus legal costs, police work, lost productivity: 37 billion dollars
  31. Annual number of jobs lost in the U.S. as a result of intimate partner violence: 32,000
  32. Percentage change between 1980 and 2008 of women and men killed by intimate partners in the U.S.: (w) 43 percent to 45 percent; (m) 10 percent to 5 percent
  33. Average cost of emergency care for domestic abuse related incidents for women and men according to the CDC: $948.00 for women, $387 for men
  34. Increase in portrayals of violence against girls and women on network TV during a five year period ending in 2009: 120 percent
  35. The number one cause of death for African American women ages 15-34 according to the American Bar Association: homicide at the hands of a partner
  36. Chance that a lesbian** in the U.S. will experience domestic (not necessarily intimate partner) violence: 50 percent
  37. Chances that a gay man experiences domestic violence: 2 out of 5*
  38. Ratio of women shot and killed by a husband or intimate partner compared to the total number of murders of men by strangers using any time of weapon, from 2002 homicide figures: 3X
  39. Number of people who will be stalked in their lifetimes: 1 in 45 men and 1 in 12 women (broken out: 17 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women; 8.2 percent of white women, 6.5 pecent of African American women, and 4.5 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander women)
  40. Percentage of stalkers identified as known to victims: 90.3
  41. Percentage of abused women in the U.S. who report being strangled by a spouse in the past year: 33 to 47.3 (this abuse often leaves no physical signs)
  42. According to one study, percentage of domestic abuse victims who are tried to leave after less severe violent and nonviolent instances of abuse: 66 versus less than 25
  43. Average number of times an abuser hits his spouse before she makes a police report: 35
  44. No. 1 and No. 2 causes of women’s deaths during pregnancy in the U.S.: Domestic homicide and suicide, often tied to abuse
  45. Number of women killed by spouses who were shot by guns kept by men in the home in the United States: 2 in 3
  46. Percentage of rape and sexual assault victims under the age of 18 who are raped by a family member: 34
  47. Number of women killed everyday in the U.S. by a spouse: 3+
  48. The primary reason cited by right-wing conservatives for objecting to the Violence Against Women Act: To protect the family.
  49. Percentage reduction in reports of violence after men and women in South Africa went through an educational training program on health, domestic violence and gender norms: 55
  50. Number of members of Congress who have gone through an educational training program on health, economics, violence, and gender norms: 0

Facts found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-actual-facts-about-dom_b_2193904.html