An anthology of poems from nine brave women.
Here are two of Jen's poems 'Aftermath' and 'Damage' from 'Women Speak I Hear...'
AFTERMATH
He stands
in front of me
eyes of lust, pity
hands now on me
caressing me
wanting me
needing me
for now.
A kiss
so soft, so harsh. So pleasing.
Anger fades, lust takes over
to block out the pain that came before
for now.
Hands that hurt me, now caress me
hands that hated me, now want me
hands that hurt me, now needing me
for now.
Lust quickly fades
realism dawns
for now.
can't last forever.
DAMAGE
Words, words, that's all they are.
Words of hate, of past, of now
Words used to hurt
to break me down.
Words, words, that's all they are
so why do they destroy me?
A door, a plate
is that alright?
you can replace an object that you break.
My face, my body
is that alright?
Can you replace a person that you break?
Inside you can't see the damage
you have done to me.
The bruises that will never heal
And no makeup can conceal
The damage done within
for bruise, marks upon the skin
Fade with time
there short term to remind me
of the damage you have done to me.
Cover them up so I can't see
the damage you have done to me
but damage done within
Will not fade or cover up
this damage I am afraid
can't be concealed and will not fade
Thoughts, feelings, there to remind me
each new day
of the damage you have done to me.
Jen participated in the Building Equality Book Project with Edinburgh Women's Aid and Shakti Women's Aid in collaboration with The Scottish Poetry. The group met at the Scottish Poetry library to explore and write poetry with the help of special writing workshops with poets Jenny Lindsay and Nadine Aisha Jassat and printmaking workshops Leena Nammari. The work which was produced in the workshops was collated in a powerful publication 'When Women Speak I Hear...' and stands a testament to the resilience, strength and courage of the women involved. Jen and Mildred kindly agreed to share their poems on the podcast for 16 Days of Action to help raise awareness of Domestic Abuse. To find out more about the publication 'When Women Speak I Hear' An anthology of poems from nine brave women go to the Scottish Poetry Library Website: www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/shop/fav…-i-hear/ edinwomensaid.co.uk/ shaktiedinburgh.co.uk/ Many thanks to Jen, Jan Ferguson, Linda Rodgers, and the women at Works 4 Women project.
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