Ungilded Cage

BY CAROLE NICHOLS

Quick now, be small, be invisible,
What he doesn't see, he can't attack.
Don't let the light fall upon your face,
Because you don't know how to fight back.

Quiet now, just a shadow be,
Until he requires that you come near;
Keep eyes down and don't say a word,
He can't condemn what he can't hear.

Be meek, be mild, and quickly move,
To answer his needs and ceaseless demands,
Carefully keep the full cup still,
Control those frightened, shaking hands.

Don't think of what you have become,
A broken slave to the tyrant king;
Don't dwell on those long lost dreams,
Don't count on peace from him to ring.

Be careful how you speak to him,
For anything can make him rage;
Be still, be small, a little mouse,
Look desperately for a way out of the cage.

And when you lay down to sleep,
Fervently pray, please God, strike him dead,
Before he finds you there in the dark,
Before his abuse enters your bed.