You took my heart – tossed it aside
Wore me down – took me as your bride
Looked down at me with your lofty airs
Sent me into a world of despair

You took my heart – tore it in two
Stomped on it with your oversized shoe
Told me I’m stupid – deserved that shit
Turned me on to drugs – then dared me to quit

You took my heart – threw it away
Tossed it aside – left it to decay
Beat me down both inside and out
About my worthiness left me to doubt

You took my heart – I loved you despite
The hell you put me through every night
You took my heart – I’m taking it back
You took my heart – I’m. Taking. It. Back!


graphic from this site.
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Dedicated to the 48% Alaskan women.

This week’s Trifecta Writing challenge is to write 33-333 words on DECAY.

13 responses

  1. Annabelle says:

    That’s an anthem worth reading! You did a great job maintaining a defiant tone even when chronicling the crap, which is hard to do.

  2. Tamyka says:

    Thank you for providing the context through your dedication. Those statistics are horrible. This is definitely written from a defiant place beyond despair, and it resonates with hope and strength. I like it.

  3. the rhythm was perfect and the rhyming marvelous (i’m terrible at rhyming, so definite props!) the tone, though describing a hurtful circumstance, let the reader know the end would be one of strength, for these words are strong!

    i particularly liked the following lines; i believe them to capture the ‘heart’ of this poem:

    “You took my heart – threw it away
    Tossed it aside – left it to decay”

  4. FKC says:

    Your light shines so brightly.

  5. 48% is completely *unacceptable!* Your rage comes through with each syllable, as does your admiration.

  6. kgwaite says:

    48??? Horrible. I feel the anger and the frustration and, yes, that sweet determination.

  7. Very powerful poem and that statistic is truly horrifying.

  8. sandra Tyler says:

    Like the way this comes back around. Ends up feisty rather than sentimental!

  9. Gina says:

    Dude…rotten to the core. I have a friend who experienced mental and physical abuse and she got her “feisty” on with the same attitude you portray at the end. Fantastic!

  10. Tara R. says:

    A wonderfully strong, empowering ending. I wish more stories like this had that ending.

  11. JannaT says:

    I like that she’s not gonna take it any more. When I was sixteen, I worked with a woman who needed to chant and believe these words. I was shocked at how her husband berated her in front of all of us.

  12. A powerful musing on possession. Great.

  13. Trifecta says:

    Thanks for linking up this week. The statistics there are, indeed, staggering. So sad. I liked your line about how he took her as a bride. The phrase is usually used in a positive sense, but here it’s impossible to miss the idea of possession behind it. Nice job.

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