To All of the Rihannahs of the World by Elaine Taylor Brown
If he hits you once
He’ll hit you twice
He’ll beat you again and again
He’ll cry and he’ll swear that
He would not dare
But soon you will see
Your scars back they will be
You must love yourself
Or you may visit your death
By the same man that holds you
And kisses you and scolds you
Your grave might just be in the sea
I know what it’s like
To be beat with my crutches
While I wore a cast on my leg
And to watch him supposedly
Fix a glass of liquor
Which landed in my face instead
But I saved my money
While the neighbors thought it was funny
That I was still at the house
But I bought my time
And paved my way
Thank God I finally got out
The way that I did
I took a long look in the mirror
And I did not like what I saw
His punching bag I had become
And a dog to my mother in law
But I decided one day that I loved myself
More than I loved anyone else
And I packed my bags and refused to die
A battered statistic on a shelf
I decided one day that loving myself
Is the greatest love of all
I picked myself up with the help of the Lord
Who keeps me from all of life’s falls
He gave the strength to forget the things
That were so close behind
I looked to the hills from which came all of my help
And thank God I made it out in time
So many pieces of me were all gone
But down in my bosom, I had a phone
I prayed and I prayed with all of my might
He gave me the strength to stand up and fight
I went back to school and I went back to work
I helped others too as I grew in the church
And now I’m a teacher a singer and a writer
Because of His word I am strong and a fighter
So if you think that you have to stay
In an abusive relationship
With broken arms and broken legs
And self-esteem that’s ripped
Realize that if you don’t love yourself
Then no one else will
And God is the only one greater than you
To command peace to be still
There is a place that you can go
Yes I have been there too
It is a shelter of new beginnings
A brand-new life for you
Now if you think you don’t need help
Just visit the worldwide web
And look at the women killed by their spouses
That refused to leave their houses
He passed by you polluted and all
And He is here to save
He’ll give you peace that passes all understanding
And keep you from an early grave.
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