Battered Wife Poem by Saroj Padhi

Bitterly battered by my most beloved husband,
I helplessly cling to my one-year old doll of a baby
For balm to my deeply etched bruises and burns;
Knowing well the diplomacy of words in future store
For my dying spirit, in their Macho twists and turns -
Devoid of slightest mercy you moved your robust arms
To ravage the delicate petals of my body and thoughts-
Those arms that took vow over sacred fire to guard me
How could they move like swords to inflict such grievous hurts!
Your hands that promised to catch stars and moon
Now clutch handfuls of mud as worthy flings of wedding boon!
Now I keep asking to myself what is this love
That made me breathless during coitus!
What this bond, this battle
The burns, bruises and this sad hiatus!