Prison without bars

A few of my poems are based on emotional abuse, for obvious reasons.

Until I was in my mid-30s, I regularly faced emotional abuse in one form or another from different sources, and it has left  huge scars, even to this day. Unlike with physical abuse, you cannot see the scars.

In my youth, it came from a member of my family and then from bullying at school. In adulthood, it came from a person that I should have been able to trust. Of course, once it has started, you begin to think that it is normal behaviour, and it opens you up to more of the same. (Perhaps you even seek out the same because it is familiar to you.)

In my mid-30s, I had a complete emotional breakdown. Slowly, I was put back (and put myself back) together, and I was a different person. I won't be bullied, and although I don't always fight it, I do walk away and won't ever go back to it. It is also what drew me to the teaching jobs I did and the type of pupil I taught. It was what made me damn good at my job too.

My poem, inspired by the orjay prompt Prison without Bars:

He tells her she's stupid
That her dress shows too much
A prison without bars? Yes...but
Familiarity's her crutch

AE

Notebooks and Pens

My Journal

So...my New Year's resolution is to take better care of the poems that I write. Apart from the 2 I published on here, and a few that I can still find on Twitter, they are jotted in a couple of notebooks, altered for Twitter and then crossed out!!

I bought 3 notebooks in Staples yesterday. They were on a 3 for 2 offer and it was just not worth buying one. They were so pretty too. I also bought 6 Sharpie biros in different colours.

I was going to write one of my poems on the first page. Then I found a lovely quote as I was going through my craft magazines that really inspired me.

The page took over an hour this afternoon and I know that I will not be able to spend that sort of time in future. So I am thinking about using my vast collection of rubber stamps to decorate each page.

But the most important thing is to keep a record of my favourite poems.