To A Corpse
This poem was written in November of 2021 for this project.
To a Corpse is a companion poem to From 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 abuser's perspective, describing how his lover "made him do it." It's an attempt to briefly disect the thought-process of a domestic abuser.
Themes:
- Abusive Relationships
- Murder
Look at you.
In pieces.
Look at what you’ve
made me do.
I long for your warmth,
the softness of your flesh,
but you seem to crave
my violence, with the
way
you flit away from me
like an escaped songbird.
But, oh—
My darling, my pet,
I ache at the mess that
has become of you.
That horrid pile of
gore and anguish—
it taunts me with
your visions uncorrupted.
I can hear the sweet sound
of your falsetto, peer the
lovely beryl of your eyes
‘fore they turned wan and
rancid.
The alluring bouquet of
your perfume snakes
through the air like a
siren’s call, nearly masking
the wretched stench of
your rot.
If only you had listened.
If only you I had kept you
housetrained.
The narrator puts the blame of his murder onto his victim, a very classic abuse
tactic.
He calls her his
pet, a possessive term that implies he owns her.
He reveals (at least partially) why he's so
violenctto her— she wanted freedom, and he abused her to control her, to create obedience.
Housetrained... like an animal. That's how he sees her.