FoxEmerson

Author, Blogger and Alleged Funny Guy

FoxEmerson

Author, Blogger and Alleged Funny Guy

Surviving Emotional Abuse Light Coming Through a Door
Life BlogMemoir & Real LifeNarcissism

Surviving Emotional Abuse: A Poem About the Silence That Killed Me

Claire

Surviving Emotional Abuse: A Poem About the Silence That Killed Me

This is for the ones who never got hit but still bled. For those surviving emotional abuse, where the bruises don’t bloom on skin. They hide in tone, in silence, in that hollow phrase: “I was just joking.”

The Quiet Years

It didn’t start with screaming. No fists. No fury. Just a look held too long. A joke at your expense. An apology that somehow made you feel sorry.

It started like love does. Soft. Sweet. A little broken. But promising.

You made space, you gave grace. You learned to bend just a bit more.

The Hardest Part

Until bending became folding. And folding became vanishing.

One day, you’re washing dishes, thinking about dinner, the errands, the socks he never picks up. Then his hands are around your throat.

Not in anger. Not in passion. Just control.

The Breaking Point

And you realise. This isn’t sudden. This isn’t out of character. This is the character.

This is the slow burn finally catching fire.

You remember the silences. The isolation. The gaslighting so constant you thought it was the sun.

You want to run. You want to disappear.

Then, tiny feet padding down the hall. Eyes that look like yours.

And you know. You can’t vanish. You won’t.

Not for You But for Them

Because survival now isn’t just yours. It’s theirs too.

You swallow fear like fire. Wear calm like armour. And hold on, not to him, but to the flicker of light inside you.

You keep going, you make a plan. You find your voice again. Hoarse, trembling, but real.

Leaving Without a Sound

When you leave, you do it quietly. With their hands in yours. With the strength of every mother who has ever chosen life.

Seven years. No contact and no more hoping he’ll change. No more waiting for kindness from a wound.

You build peace brick by brick. Hold your children close. Teach them love by living it out loud.

It Is Haunting

There are days you still flinch at sudden noise. Still scan rooms for exits. But now, you do it with breath in your lungs and your name fully your own.

You laugh and you sleep. You say no and mean it.

Sometimes, you catch your reflection and see her. The woman who lived. Who walked through fire and didn’t burn.

Time Heals All Wounds

She bloomed. Blossomed. Found herself again.

Not because of him. In spite of him. Because of you.

Surviving emotional abuse doesn’t come with applause. You don’t get medals. You get a half-empty bed and freedom that tastes like fear.

But it’s yours. And you survived.

If you’re surviving emotional abuse right now, this isn’t the end.

It’s the beginning of the version of you who doesn’t apologise for breathing.

Claire x

If you need support, are experiencing abuse or just aren’t sure, you should reach out to organisations that can help you.

Support Resources for Domestic Abuse Survivors

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, you’re not alone. These organizations offer 24/7, confidential support:​

🇺🇸 United States

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇨🇦 Canada

🇦🇺 Australia

Don’t Just Lurk. Join the Dysfunction.