From A Corpse
This poem was written in November of 2021 for this project.
From a Corpse is a companion poem to To a Corpse. Together, they both tell the story of a man who murdered his wife and the twisted, abusive state of their relationship. Murder is used an allegory for all domestic violence.
This poem is from the victim's perspective, showing how she's been manipulated into believing that her murder is her own fault. It's an attempt to briefly disect the thought-process of a domestic abuse victim.
Themes:
- Abusive Relationships
- Murder
Look at me.
Detritus.
What have I
made you do?
All I can sense is a
bitter cold, a
hollowness
without reprieve.
If only I could bask
in your glow once more,
imbibe the ever-burning
smolder within you.
But, I disobeyed—
pushed you and
pushed you until you
snapped and did to
me
what I deserved.
And, oh—
My dear, my master,
how I yearn for your
grip upon my body,
the effortless command
over heart and soul.
I still linger, wandering
along our dusted halls.
I watch as you toil,
agonizing over my killing,
so tortured and wrought
as I fruitlessly try and try
to ease your heavy burden.
I shadow you in day,
envelop you at night,
all in atonement for
my
defiance.
If only I had listened.
If only I had been
tamed.
The narrator puts the blame of her own murder onto herself, a very classic
response to abuse.
She's left
coldand
hollowfrom his abuse, a shell of who she once was.
Again, she blames herself for what happened to her,
believing that he was practically forced to hurt her. It's what she
deserved.
She calls him her
master, implying that he owns her.
Yearning for
atonement, even in death she's convinced she's somehow done something wrong and craves his forgiveness.
Tamed... like an animal. That's how she sees herself.