BY OYEMAKA ANITA
He whips me like a child
Oh, how I wish I had listened to my mother
My mother!
A woman of value and integrity
She warned me about him
But I wouldn’t listen.
Had I Known
I thought love will repair the tear
But I was wrong
I should have known through his actions,
His temper
His temper was like that of a fiery furnace
It cannot be put out.
Had I known

Now I bear the cross
Even concealer is not enough to hide my bruises
I used to be the envy of my friends
Now, I am just a used rag waiting to be disposed.
Had I known

I am not myself anymore
I am thrown about like a piece of trash
Even a worthless object is treated with more care than me
Me!
An epitome of beauty
I used to be full of life and hope
Now I am just waiting for death to take me
I feel so useless
I wish I was strong
Had I known
Mother, I am so sorry
I should have listened to you,
You knew better
A vagabond, you called him
I thought you hated him
But you knew he wasn’t right for me
Had I known
A bully, you called him
A liar, you said
A deceiver, you emphasized
But I just wouldn’t listen
Until he gave the first blow
And the next
And the next
Till it became a routine

Had I Known,
I would have listened to you
I would have rejected his advances
I wouldn’t have turned a deaf ear to you
Is it too late?
Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Is there hope after all?
Can I still come out of this unscarred.

This was her regret.
She was twenty years old and she had jumped into marriage-marrying the first guy that asked her out because he was handsome and rich, because she just didn’t want to continue living under the same roof with her mother, because she wanted to live the good life and mock her other friends who decided to work hard to be independent and self-reliant and who chose to wait upon God for the perfect man-refusing to heed to advice and warnings from everyone that cared for her all in the name of “true love” but look how she ended up.

Yes, Domestic Violence is bad, there is no other thing to it. It is inhuman and it is forever condemned but my advice to youths is BE WATCHFUL! It happens mostly in relationships, say marriage and that's why as a male or a female, it is better to choose wisely. 

 No matter Whoever you want to choose as your life partner, why not wait, study and observe so as to get to know each other well, so that both your body and soul will speak the same language. Why hurry and then end up with regrets leading to divorce and in some cases, it is not always divorce but death because of the inability to cope with the maltreatment. 

 You can avoid Domestic violence in your relationships or your marriage at least to the barest minimum when you and your partner understand each other to he core, your likes and dislikes, it is left to how much you wait, study and observe and one more thing... one thing is always important which is for you to know if it is actually true love.