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A victim: A poem by Roodaba Shah

Behind a smile, she is hiding anguish
Of tormented nights,
Lashes lanced dermis, severed soul.
Dreams wings slashed and clipped in the struggle and strife
Voice muffled in innumerable scuffles.
Concealed bruises blues, blazed marks bleeding beneath
Her Doe-eyes barren, smudged Koehl
Misty dews rolled down wiped ofttimes, her eyes are parched now.
He promised her heavens but broke all his promises. 
She has been the victim at the hands of life’s companion.
He vowed to protect her dignity and turned into a batterer.
She standing at the threshold of life
nowhere to go
Feeble, frail victim though, she mustered the courage one day
Mended broken pieces she finally decided 
No more despair and bemoaning any more 
Broke the shackles that weighed her down.
Shattering silence demolished confinements,
It’s certainly the beginning of a new dawn.